AMERICAN  HORSE 


INDIAN   HEROES 


AND 


GREAT  CHIEFTAINS 


BY 
CHARLES  A.  FASTMAN 

(OHIYESA) 


MON-REFE 


MVAD 


BOSTON 

LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY 
1939 


Copyright,  1918, 
BY  LITTLE,  BROWN,  AND  COMPANY. 


.  All  rights  reserved 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF  AMERICA 


CONTENTS 

PAQB 

1.  RED  CLOUD 1 

2.  SPOTTED  TAIL 23 

3.  LITTLE  CROW           .....  42 

4.  TAMAHAY 56 

5.  GALL 68 

6.  CRAZY  HORSE 83 

7.  SITTING  BULL          .....  107 

8.  RAIN-IN-THE-FACE 132 

9.  Two  STRIKE 152 

10.  AMERICAN  HORSE    .....  165 

11.  DULL  KNIFE 179 

12.  ROMAN  NOSE 189 

13.  CHIEF  JOSEPH         .....  194 

14.  LITTLE  WOLF 213 

15.  HOLE-IN-THE-DAY   ,  225 


M60788 


INDIAN   HEROES  AND 
GREAT  CHIEFTAINS 


RED  CLOUD 


EVERY  age,  every  race,  has  its  leaders 
and  heroes.  There  were  over  sixty 
distinct  tribes  of  Indians  on  this  con 
tinent,  each  of  which  boasted  its  notable 
men.  The  names  and  deeds  of  some  of 
these  men  will  live  in  American  history,  yet 
in  the  true  sense  they  are  unknown,  because 
misunderstood.  I  should  like  to  present 
some  of  the  greatest  chiefs  of  modern  times 
in  the  light  of  the  native  character  and 
ideals,  believing  that  the  American  people 
will  gladly  do  them  tardy  justice. 

It  is  matter  of  history  that  the  Sioux 
nation,  to  which  I  belong,  was  originally 
friendly  to  the  Caucasian  peoples  which  it 
met  in  succession  —  first,  to  the  south  the 
Spaniards ;  then  the  French,  on  the  Missis- 


£  INDIAN  HEROES 

sippi  River  and  along  the  Great  Lakes; 
later  the  English,  and  finally  the  Americans. 
This  powerful  tribe  then  roamed  over  the 
whole  extent  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  be 
tween  that  river  and  the  Rockies.  Their 
usages  and  government  united  the  various 
bands  more  closely  than  was  the  case  with 
many  of  the  neighboring  tribes. 

During  the  early  part  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  chiefs  such  as  Wabashaw,  Red 
wing,  and  Little  Six  among  the  eastern 
Sioux,  Conquering  Bear,  Man-Afraid-of- 
His-Horse,  and  Hump  of  the  western  bands, 
were  the  last  of  the  old  type.  After  these, 
we  have  a  coterie  of  new  leaders,  products 
of  the  new  conditions  brought  about  by 
close  contact  with  the  conquering  race. 

This  distinction  must  be  borne  in  mind 
—  that  while  the  early  chiefs  were  spokes 
men  and  leaders  in  the  simplest  sense, 
possessing  no  real  authority,  those  who 
headed  their  tribes  during  the  transition 
period  were  more  or  less  rulers  and  more  or 
less  politicians.  It  is  a  singular  fact  that 


RED   CLOUD  3 

many  of  the  "chiefs",  well  known  as  such 
to  the  American  public,  were  not  chiefs  at 
all  according  to  the  accepted  usages  of  their 
tribesmen.  Their  prominence  was  simply 
the  result  of  an  abnormal  situation,  in 
which  representatives  of  the  United  States 
Government  made  use  of  them  for  a  definite 
purpose.  In  a  few  cases,  where  a  chief  met 
with  a  violent  death,  some  ambitious  man 
has  taken  advantage  of  the  confusion  to 
thrust  himself  upon  the  tribe  and,  perhaps 
with  outside  help,  has  succeeded  in  usurping 
the  leadership. 

Red  Cloud  was  born  about  1820  near  the 
forks  of  the  Platte  River.  He  was  one  of 
a  family  of  nine  children  whose  father,  an 
able  and  respected  warrior,  reared  his  son 
under  the  old  Spartan  regime.  The  young 
Red  Cloud  is  said  to  have  been  a  fine  horse 
man,  able  to  swim  across  the  Missouri  and 
Yellowstone  rivers,  of  high  bearing  and  un 
questionable  courage,  yet  invariably  gentle 
and  courteous  in  everyday  life.  This  last 
trait,  together  with  a  singularly  musical  and 


4  INDIAN  HEROES 

agreeable  voice,  has  always  been  charac 
teristic  of  the  man. 

When  he  was  about  six  years  old,  his  father 
gave  him  a  spirited  colt,  and  said  to  him : 

"My  son,  when  you  are  able  to  sit 
quietly  upon  the  back  of  this  colt  without 
saddle  or  bridle,  I  shall  be  glad,  for  the  boy 
who  can  win  a  wild  creature  and  learn  to  use 
it  will  as  a  man  be  able  to  win  and  rule  men." 

The  little  fellow,  instead  of  going  for  ad 
vice  and  help  to  his  grandfather,  as  most 
Indian  boys  would  have  done,  began  quietly 
to  practice  throwing  the  lariat.  In  a  little 
while  he  was  able  to  lasso  the  colt.  He  was 
dragged  off  his  feet  at  once,  but  hung  on, 
and  finally  managed  to  picket  him  near 
the  teepee.  When  the  big  boys  drove  the 
herd  of  ponies  to  water,  he  drove  his  colt 
with  the  rest.  Presently  the  pony  became 
used  to  him  and  allowed  himself  to  be 
handled.  The  boy  began  to  ride  him  bare 
back  ;  he  was  thrown  many  times,  but  per 
sisted  until  he  could  ride  without  even  a  lariat, 
sitting  with  arms  folded  and  guiding  the  ani- 


RED   CLOUD  5 

mal  by  the  movements  of  his  body.  From 
that  time  on  he  told  me  that  he  broke  all  his 
own  ponies,  and  before  long  his  father's  as  well. 
The  old  men,  his  contemporaries,  have 
often  related  to  me  how  Red  Cloud  was 
always  successful  in  the  hunt  because  his 
horses  were  so  well  broken.  At  the  age  of 
nine,  he  began  to  ride  his  father's  pack  pony 
upon  the  buffalo  hunt.  He  was  twelve 
years  old,  he  told  me,  when  he  was  first 
permitted  to  take  part  in  the  chase,  and 
found  to  his  great  mortification  that  none 
of  his  arrows  penetrated  more  than  a  few 
inches.  Excited  to  recklessness,  he  whipped 
his  horse  nearer  the  fleeing  buffalo,  and 
before  his  father  knew  what  he  was  about, 
he  had  seized  one  of  the  protruding  arrows 
and  tried  to  push  it  deeper.  The  furious 
animal  tossed  his  massive  head  sidewise, 
and  boy  and  horse  were  whirled  into  the  air. 
Fortunately,  the  boy  was  thrown  on  the 
farther  side  of  his  pony,  which  received  the 
full  force  of  the  second  attack.  The  thun 
dering  hoofs  of  the  stampeded  herd  soon 


6  INDIAN  HEROES 

passed  them  by,  but  the  wounded  and  mad 
dened  buffalo  refused  to  move,  and  some 
critical  moments  passed  before  Red  Cloud's 
father  succeeded  in  attracting  its  attention 
so  that  the  boy  might  spring  to  his  feet  and 
run  for  his  life. 

I  once  asked  Red  Cloud  if  he  could  recall 
having  ever  been  afraid,  and  in  reply  he  told 
me  this  story.  He  was  about  sixteen  years 
old  and  had  already  been  once  or  twice  upon 
the  warpath,  when  one  fall  his  people  were 
hunting  in  the  Big  Horn  country,  where  they 
might  expect  trouble  at  any  moment  with 
the  hostile  Crows  or  Shoshones.  Red  Cloud 
had  followed  a  single  buffalo  bull  into  the 
Bad  Lands  and  was  out  of  sight  and  hear 
ing  of  his  companions.  When  he  had 
brought  down  his  game,  he  noted  carefully 
every  feature  of  his  surroundings  so  that  he 
might  at  once  detect  anything  unusual,  and 
tied  his  horse  with  a  long  lariat  to  the  horn 
of  the  dead  bison,  while  skinning  and  cut 
ting  up  the  meat  so  as  to  pack  it  to  camp. 
Every  few  minutes  he  paused  in  his  work  to 


RED  CLOUD  7 

scrutinize  the  landscape,  for  he  had  a  feeling 
that  danger  was  not  far  off. 

Suddenly,  almost  over  his  head,  as  it 
seemed,  he  heard  a  tremendous  war  whoop, 
and  glancing  sidewise,  thought  he  beheld 
the  charge  of  an  overwhelming  number  of 
warriors.  He  tried  desperately  to  give  the 
usual  undaunted  war  whoop  in  reply,  but 
instead  a  yell  of  terror  burst  from  his  lips, 
his  legs  gave  way  under  him,  and  he  fell  in 
a  heap.  When  he  realized,  the  next  in 
stant,  that  the  war  whoop  was  merely  the 
sudden  loud  whinnying  of  his  own  horse, 
and  the  charging  army  a  band  of  fleeing  elk, 
he  was  so  ashamed  of  himself  that  he  never 
forgot  the  incident,  although  up  to  that 
time  he  had  never  mentioned  it.  His  sub 
sequent  career  would  indicate  that  the  les 
son  was  well  learned. 

The  future  leader  was  still  a  very  young 
man  when  he  joined  a  war  party  against  the 
Utes.  Having  pushed  eagerly  forward  on 
the  trail,  he  found  himself  far  in  advance  of 
his  companions  as  night  came  on,  and  at 


8  INDIAN  HEROES 

the  same  time  rain  began  to  fall  heavily. 
Among  the  scattered  scrub  pines,  the  lone 
warrior  found  a  natural  cave,  and  after  a 
hasty  examination,  he  decided  to  shelter 
there  for  the  night. 

Scarcely  had  he  rolled  himself  in  his 
blanket  when  he  heard  a  slight  rustling  at 
the  entrance,  as  if  some  creature  were 
preparing  to  share  his  retreat.  It  was 
pitch  dark.  He  could  see  nothing,  but 
judged  that  it  must  be  either  a  man  or  a 
grizzly.  There  was  not  room  to  draw  a 
bow.  It  must  be  between  knife  and  knife, 
or  between  knife  and  claws,  he  said  to 
himself. 

The  intruder  made  no  search  but  quietly 
lay  down  in  the  opposite  corner  of  the  cave. 
Red  Cloud  remained  perfectly  still,  scarcely 
breathing,  his  hand  upon  his  knife.  Hour 
after  hour  he  lay  broad  awake,  while  many 
thoughts  passed  through  his  brain.  Sud 
denly,  without  warning,  he  sneezed,  and 
instantly  a  strong  man  sprang  to  a  sitting 
posture  opposite.  The  first  gray  of  morn- 


RED   CLOUD  9 

ing  was  creeping  into  their  rocky  den,  and 
behold  !  a  Ute  hunter  sat  before  him. 

Desperate  as  the  situation  appeared,  it 
was  not  without  a  grim  humor.  Neither 
could  afford  to  take  his  eyes  from  the 
other's ;  the  tension  was  great,  till  at  last  a 
smile  wavered  over  the  expressionless  face 
of  the  Ute.  Red  Cloud  answered  the  smile, 
and  in  that  instant  a  treaty  of  peace  was 
born  between  them. 

"Put  your  knife  in  its  sheath.  I  shall 
do  so  also,  and  we  will  smoke  together," 
signed  Red  Cloud.  The  other  assented 
gladly,  and  they  ratified  thus  the  truce 
which  assured  to  each  a  safe  return  to  his 
friends.  Having  finished  their  smoke,  they 
shook  hands  and  separated.  Neither  had 
given  the  other  any  information.  Red 
Cloud  returned  to  his  party  and  told  his 
story,  adding  that  he  had  divulged  nothing 
and  had  nothing  to  report.  Some  were 
inclined  to  censure  him  for  not  fighting, 
but  he  was  sustained  by  a  majority  of  the 
warriors,  who  commended  his  self-restraint. 


10  INDIAN  HEROES 

In  a  day  or  two  they  discovered  the  main 
camp  of  the  enemy  and  fought  a  remarkable 
battle,  in  which  Red  Cloud  especially  dis 
tinguished  himself. 

The  Sioux  were  now  entering  upon  the 
most  stormy  period  of  their  history.  The 
old  things  were  fast  giving  place  to  new.  The 
young  men,  for  the  first  time  engaging  in 
serious  and  destructive  warfare  with  the 
neighboring  tribes,  armed  with  the  deadly 
weapons  furnished  by  the  white  man,  began 
to  realize  that  they  must  soon  enter  upon  a 
desperate  struggle  for  their  ancestral  hunt 
ing  grounds.  The  old  men  had  been  in 
nocently  cultivating  the  friendship  of  the 
stranger,  saying  among  themselves,  "Surely 
there  is  land  enough  for  all !" 

Red  Cloud  was  a  modest  and  little  known 
man  of  about  twenty-eight  years,  when 
General  Harney  called  all  the  western  bands 
of  Sioux  together  at  Fort  Laramie,  Wyo 
ming,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  an  agree 
ment  and  right  of  way  through  their 
territory.  The  Ogallalas  held  aloof  from 


RED   CLOUD  11 

this  proposal,  but  Bear  Bull,  an  Ogallala 
chief,  after  having  been  plied  with  whisky, 
undertook  to  dictate  submission  to  the  rest 
of  the  clan.  Enraged  by  failure,  he  fired 
upon  a  group  of  his  own  tribesmen,  and  Red 
Cloud's  father  and  brother  fell  dead.  Ac 
cording  to  Indian  custom,  it  fell  to  him  to 
avenge  the  deed.  Calmly,  without  uttering 
a  word,  he  faced  old  Bear  Bull  and  his  son, 
who  attempted  to  defend  his  father,  and 
shot  them  both.  He  did  what  he  believed 
to  be  his  duty,  and  the  whole  band  sus 
tained  him.  Indeed,  the  tragedy  gave  the 
young  man  at  once  a  certain  standing,  as 
one  who  not  only  defended  his  people 
against  enemies  from  without,  but  against 
injustice  and  aggression  within  the  tribe. 
From  this  time  on  he  was  a  recognized 
leader. 

Man-Afraid-of-His-Horse,  then  head  chief 
of  the  Ogallalas,  took  council  with  Red 
Cloud  in  all  important  matters,  and  the 
young  warrior  rapidly  advanced  in  au 
thority  and  influence.  In  1854,  when  he 


12  INDIAN  HEROES 

was  barely  thirty -five  years  old,  the  various 
bands  were  again  encamped  near  Fort 
Laramie.  A  Mormon  emigrant  train,  mov 
ing  westward,  left  a  footsore  cow  behind, 
and  the  young  men  killed  her  for  food. 
The  next  day,  to  their  astonishment,  an 
officer  with  thirty  men  appeared  at  the 
Indian  camp  and  demanded  of  old  Con 
quering  Bear  that  they  be  given  up.  The 
chief  in  vain  protested  that  it  was  all  a 
mistake  and  offered  to  make  reparation. 
It  would  seem  that  either  the  officer  was 
under  the  influence  of  liquor,  or  else  had  a 
mind  to  bully  the  Indians,  for  he  would 
accept  neither  explanation  nor  payment, 
but  demanded  point-blank  that  the  young 
men  who  had  killed  the  cow  be  delivered  up 
to  summary  punishment.  The  old  chief  re 
fused  to  be  intimidated  and  was  shot  dead 
on  the  spot.  Not  one  soldier  ever  reached 
the  gate  of  Fort  Laramie!  Here  Red 
Cloud  led  the  young  Ogallalas,  and  so 
intense  was  the  feeling  that  they  even  killed 
the  half-breed  interpreter. 


RED   CLOUD  13 

Curiously  enough,  there  was  no  attempt  at 
retaliation  on  the  part  of  the  army,  and  no 
serious  break  until  1860,  when  the  Sioux  were 
involved  in  troubles  with  the  Cheyennes 
and  Arapahoes.  In  1862,  a  grave  out 
break  was  precipitated  by  the  eastern  Sioux 
in  Minnesota  under  Little  Crow,  in  which 
the  western  bands  took  no  part.  Yet  this 
event  ushered  in  a  new  period  for  their  race. 
The  surveyors  of  the  Union  Pacific  were 
laying  out  the  proposed  road  through  the 
heart  of  the  southern  buffalo  country,  the 
rendezvous  of  Ogallalas,  Brules,  Arapahoes, 
Comanches,  and  Pawnees,  who  followed  the 
buffalo  as  a  means  of  livelihood.  To  be 
sure,  most  of  these  tribes  were  at  war  with 
one  another,  yet  during  the  summer  months 
they  met  often  to  proclaim  a  truce  and  hold 
joint  councils  and  festivities,  which  were 
now  largely  turned  into  discussions  of  the 
common  enemy.  It  became  evident,  how 
ever,  that  some  of  the  smaller  and  weaker 
tribes  were  inclined  to  welcome  the  new 
order  of  things,  recognizing  that  it  was  the 


14  INDIAN  HEROES 

policy  of  the  government  to  put  an  end  to 
tribal  warfare. 

Red  Cloud's  position  was  uncompromis 
ingly  against  submission.  He  made  some 
noted  speeches  in  this  line,  one  of  which  was 
repeated  to  me  by  an  old  man  who  had 
heard  and  remembered  it  with  the  remark 
able  verbal  memory  of  an  Indian. 

"Friends,"  said  Red  Cloud,  "it  has 
been  our  misfortune  to  welcome  the 
white  man.  We  have  been  deceived.  He 
brought  with  him  some  shining  things  that 
pleased  our  eyes ;  he  brought  weapons  more 
effective  than  our  own  :  above  all,  he  brought 
the  spirit  water  that  makes  one  forget  for 
a  time  old  age,  weakness,  and  sorrow.  But 
I  wish  to  say  to  you  that  if  you  would 
possess  these  things  for  yourselves,  you 
must  begin  anew  and  put  away  the  wisdom 
of  your  fathers.  You  must  lay  up  food, 
and  forget  the  hungry.  When  your  house 
is  built,  your  storeroom  filled,  then  look 
around  for  a  neighbor  whom  you  can  take 
at  a  disadvantage,  and  seize  all  that  he  has ! 


RED   CLOUD  15 

Give  away  only  what  you  do  not  want;  or 
rather,  do  not  part  with  any  of  your  posses 
sions  unless  in  exchange  for  another's. 

"  My  countrymen,  shall  the  glittering  trin 
kets  of  this  rich  man,  his  deceitful  drink 
that  overcomes  the  mind,  shall  these  things 
tempt  us  to  give  up  our  homes,  our  hunting 
grounds,  and  the  honorable  teaching  of  our 
old  men?  Shall  we  permit  ourselves  to  be 
driven  to  and  fro  —  to  be  herded  like  the 
cattle  of  the  white  man?" 

His  next  speech  that  has  been  remem 
bered  was  made  in  1866,  just  before  the 
attack  on  Fort  Phil  Kearny.  The  tension 
of  feeling  against  the  invaders  had  now 
reached  its  height.  There  was  no  dissenting 
voice  in  the  council  upon  the  Powder  River, 
when  it  was  decided  to  oppose  to  the  utter 
most  the  evident  purpose  of  the  govern 
ment.  Red  Cloud  was  not  altogether 
ignorant  of  the  numerical  strength  and  the 
resourcefulness  of  the  white  man,  but  he 
was  determined  to  face  any  odds  rather 
than  submit. 


16  INDIAN  HEROES 

"Hear  ye,  Dakotas!"  he  exclaimed. 
"When  the  Great  Father  at  Washington 
sent  us  his  chief  soldier  [General  Harney]  to 
ask  for  a  path  through  our  hunting  grounds, 
a  way  for  his  iron  road  to  the  mountains 
and  the  western  sea,  we  were  told  that  they 
wished  merely  to  pass  through  our  country, 
not  to  tarry  among  us,  but  to  seek  for  gold 
in  the  far  west.  Our  old  chiefs  thought  to 
show  their  friendship  and  good  will,  when 
they  allowed  this  dangerous  snake  in  our 
midst.  They  promised  to  protect  the  way 
farers. 

:<Yet  before  the  ashes  of  the  council  fire 
are  cold,  the  Great  Father  is  building  his 
forts  among  us.  You  have  heard  the  sound 
of  the  white  soldier's  ax  upon  the  Little 
Piney.  His  presence  here  is  an  insult  and 
a  threat.  It  is  an  insult  to  the  spirits  of 
our  ancestors.  Are  we  then  to  give  up 
their  sacred  graves  to  be  plowed  for  corn? 
Dakotas,  I  am  for  war !" 

In  less  than  a  week  after  this  speech,  the 
Sioux  advanced  upon  Fort  Phil  Kearny, 


RED  CLOUD  17 

the  new  sentinel  that  had  just  taken  her 
place  upon  the  farthest  frontier,  guarding 
the  Oregon  Trail.  Every  detail  of  the 
attack  had  been  planned  with  care,  though 
not  without  heated  discussion,  and  nearly 
every  well-known  Sioux  chief  had  agreed 
in  striking  the  blow.  The  brilliant  young 
war  leader,  Crazy  Horse,  was  appointed 
to  lead  the  charge.  His  lieutenants  were 
Sword,  Hump,  and  Dull  Knife,  with  Little 
Chief  of  the  Cheyennes,  while  the  older  men 
acted  as  councilors.  Their  success  was  in 
stantaneous.  In  less  than  half  an  hour, 
they  had  cut  down  nearly  a  hundred  men 
under  Captain  Fetterman,  whom  they  drew 
out  of  the  fort  by  a  ruse  and  then  annihilated. 
Instead  of  sending  troops  to  punish,  the 
government  sent  a  commission  to  treat  with 
the  Sioux.  The  result  was  the  famous 
treaty  of  1868,  which  Red  Cloud  was  the 
last  to  sign,  having  refused  to  do  so  until 
all  of  the  forts  within  their  territory  should 
be  vacated.  All  of  his  demands  were  ac 
ceded  to,  the  new  road  abandoned,  the 


18  INDIAN  HEROES 

garrisons  withdrawn,  and  in  the  new  treaty 
it  was  distinctly  stated  that  the  Black  Hills 
and  the  Big  Horn  were  Indian  country,  set 
apart  for  their  perpetual  occupancy,  and 
that  no  white  man  should  enter  that  region 
without  the  consent  of  the  Sioux. 

Scarcely  was  this  treaty  signed,  however, 
when  gold  was  discovered  in  the  Black 
Hills,  and  the  popular  cry  was:  "Remove 
the  Indians ! "  This  was  easier  said  than 
done.  That  very  territory  had  just  been 
solemnly  guaranteed  to  them  forever:  yet 
how  stem  the  irresistible  rush  for  gold? 
The  government,  at  first,  entered  some 
small  protest,  just  enough  to  "save  its  face", 
as  the  saying  is;  but  there  was  no  serious 
attempt  to  prevent  the  wholesale  violation 
of  the  treaty.  It  was  this  state  of  affairs  that 
led  to  the  last  great  speech  made  by  Red 
Cloud,  at  a  gathering  upon  the  Little  Rose 
bud  River.  It  is  brief,  and  touches  upon 
the  hopelessness  of  their  future  as  a  race. 
He  seems  at  about  this  time  to  have  reached 
the  conclusion  that  resistance  could  not 


RED  CLOUD  19 

last  much  longer ;  in  fact,  the  greater  part 
of  the  Sioux  nation  was  already  under 
government  control. 

"We  are  told,"  said  he,  "that  Spotted 
Tail  has  consented  to  be  the  Beggars'  Chief. 
Those  Indians  who  go  over  to  the  white 
man  can  be  nothing  but  beggars,  for  he 
respects  only  riches,  and  how  can  an  Indian 
be  a  rich  man  ?  He  cannot  without  ceasing 
to  be  an  Indian.  As  for  me,  I  have  listened 
patiently  to  the  promises  of  the  Great 
Father,  but  his  memory  is  short.  I  am 
now  done  with  him.  This  is  all  I  have  to 
say." 

The  wilder  bands  separated  soon  after 
this  council,  to  follow  the  drift  of  the 
buffalo,  some  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Black 
Hills  and  others  in  the  Big  Horn  region. 
Small  war  parties  came  down  from  time  to 
time  upon  stray  travelers,  who  received  no 
mercy  at  their  hands,  or  made  dashes  upon 
neighboring  forts.  Red  Cloud  claimed  the 
right  to  guard  and  hold  by  force,  if  need  be, 
all  this  territory  which  had  been  conceded 


20  INDIAN  HEROES 

to  his  people  by  the  treaty  of  1868.  The 
land  became  a  very  nest  of  outlawry. 
Aside  from  organized  parties  of  prospectors, 
there  were  bands  of  white  horse  thieves 
and  desperadoes  who  took  advantage  of  the 
situation  to  plunder  immigrants  and  Indians 
alike. 

An  attempt  was  made  by  means  of 
military  camps  to  establish  control  and 
force  all  the  Indians  upon  reservations,  and 
another  commission  was  sent  to  negotiate 
their  removal  to  Indian  Territory,  but  met 
with  an  absolute  refusal.  After  much  guer 
rilla  warfare,  an  important  military  cam 
paign  against  the  Sioux  was  set  on  foot  in 
1876,  ending  in  Ouster's  signal  defeat  upon 
the  Little  Big  Horn. 

In  this  notable  battle,  Red  Cloud  did  not 
participate  in  person,  nor  in  the  earlier  one 
with  Crook  upon  the  Little  Rosebud,  but 
he  had  a  son  in  both  fights.  He  was  now 
a  councilor  rather  than  a  warrior,  but  his 
young  men  were  constantly  in  the  field, 
while  Spotted  Tail  had  definitely  surren- 


RED  CLOUD  21 

dered  and  was  in  close  touch  with  repre 
sentatives  of  the  government. 

But  the  inevitable  end  was  near.  One 
morning  in  the  fall  of  1876  Red  Cloud  was 
surrounded  by  United  States  troops  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  McKenzie,  who 
disarmed  his  people  and  brought  them  into 
Fort  Robinson,  Nebraska.  Thence  they 
were  removed  to  the  Pine  Ridge  agency, 
where  he  lived  for  more  than  thirty  years 
as  a  "reservation  Indian."  In  order  to 
humiliate  him  further,  government  author 
ities  proclaimed  the  more  tractable  Spotted 
Tail  head  chief  of  the  Sioux.  Of  course, 
Red  Cloud's  own  people  never  recognized 
any  other  chief. 

In  1880  he  appealed  to  Professor  Marsh, 
of  Yale,  head  of  a  scientific  expedition  to  the 
Bad  Lands,  charging  certain  frauds  at  the 
agency  and  apparently  proving  his  case; 
at  any  rate  the  matter  was  considered 
worthy  of  official  investigation.  In  1890- 
1891,  during  the  "Ghost  Dance  craze" 
and  the  difficulties  that  followed,  he  was 


22  INDIAN  HEROES 

suspected  of  collusion  with  the  hostiles, 
but  he  did  not  join  them  openly,  and  nothing 
could  be  proved  against  him.  He  was 
already  an  old  man,  and  became  almost 
entirely  blind  before  his  death  in  1909  in 
his  ninetieth  year. 

His  private  life  was  exemplary.  He  was 
faithful  to  one  wife  all  his  days,  and  was  a 
devoted  father  to  his  children.  He  was 
ambitious  for  his  only  son,  known  as  Jack 
Red  Cloud,  and  much  desired  him  to  be  a 
great  warrior.  He  started  him  on  the  war 
path  at  the  age  of  fifteen,  not  then  realizing 
that  the  days  of  Indian  warfare  were  well- 
nigh  at  an  end. 

Among  latter-day  chiefs,  Red  Cloud  was 
notable  as  a  quiet  man,  simple  and  direct 
in  speech,  courageous  in  action,  an  ardent 
lover  of  his  country,  and  possessed  in  a 
marked  degree  of  the  manly  qualities 
characteristic  of  the  American  Indian  in 
his  best  days. 


SPOTTED  TAIL 

AMONG  the  Sioux  chiefs  of  the  "tran 
sition  period"  only  one  was  shrewd 
enough  to  read  coming  events 
in  their  true  light.  It  is  said  of  Spotted 
Tail  that  he  was  rather  a  slow-moving  boy, 
preferring  in  their  various  games  and  mimic 
battles  to  play  the  r61e  of  councilor,  to  plan 
and  assign  to  the  others  their  parts  in  the 
fray.  This  he  did  so  cleverly  that  he  soon 
became  a  leader  among  his  youthful  con 
temporaries;  and  withal  he  was  apt  at 
mimicry  and  impersonation,  so  that  the 
other  boys  were  accustomed  to  say  of  him, 
"He  has  his  grandfather's  wit  and  the 
wisdom  of  his  grandmother ! " 

Spotted  Tail  was  an  orphan,  reared  by 
his  grandparents,  and  at  an  early  age  com 
pelled  to  shift  for  himself.  Thus  he  was 
somewhat  at  a  disadvantage  among  the 

23 


24  INDIAN  HEROES 

other  boys;  yet  even  this  fact  may  have 
helped  to  develop  in  him  courage  and  in 
genuity.  One  little  incident  of  his  boy  life, 
occurring  at  about  his  tenth  year,  is  char 
acteristic  of  the  man.  In  the  midst  of  a 
game,  two  boys  became  involved  in  a  dis 
pute  which  promised  to  be  a  serious  one, 
as  both  drew  knives.  The  young  Spotted 
Tail  instantly  began  to  cry,  "The  Sho- 
shones  are  upon  us  !  To  arms  !  to  arms  !" 
and  the  other  boys  joined  in  the  war  whoop. 
This  distracted  the  attention  of  the  com 
batants  and  ended  the  affair. 

Upon  the  whole,  his  boyhood  is  not  so 
well  remembered  as  is  that  of  most  of  his 
leading  contemporaries,  probably  because 
he  had  no  parents  to  bring  him  frequently 
before  the  people,  as  was  the  custom  with 
the  well-born,  whose  every  step  in  their 
progress  toward  manhood  was  publicly 
announced  at  a  feast  given  in  their  honor. 
It  is  known,  however,  that  he  began  at  an 
early  age  to  carve  out  a  position  for  himself. 
It  is  personal  qualities  alone  that  tell  among 


SPOTTED  TAIL  25 

our  people,  and  the  youthful  Spotted  Tail 
gained  at  every  turn.  At  the  age  of  seven 
teen,  he  had  become  a  sure  shot  and  a 
clever  hunter;  but,  above  all,  he  had 
already  shown  that  he  possessed  a  superior 
mind.  He  had  come  into  contact  with 
white  people  at  the  various  trading  posts, 
and  according  to  his  own  story  had  made  a 
careful  study  of  the  white  man's  habits  and 
modes  of  thought,  especially  of  his  peculiar 
trait  of  economy  and  intense  desire  to 
accumulate  property.  He  was  accustomed 
to  watch  closely  and  listen  attentively 
whenever  any  of  this  strange  race  had  deal 
ings  with  his  people.  When  a  council  was 
held,  and  the  other  young  men  stood  at  a 
distance  with  their  robes  over  their  faces 
so  as  to  avoid  recognition,  Spotted  Tail 
always  put  himself  in  a  position  to  hear  all 
that  was  said  on  either  side,  and  weighed 
all  the  arguments  in  his  mind. 

When  he  first  went  upon  the  warpath,  it 
appears  that  he  was,  if  anything,  over- 
zealous  to  establish  himself  in  the  eye  of 


26  INDIAN  HEROES 

his  people ;  and  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  was 
especially  hard  for  him  to  gain  an  assured 
position  among  the  Brules,  with  whom  he 
lived,  both  because  he  was  an  orphan,  and 
because  his  father  had  been  of  another  band. 
Yet  it  was  not  long  before  he  had  achieved 
his  ambition,  though  in  doing  so  he  re 
ceived  several  ugly  wounds.  It  was  in  a 
battle  with  the  TJtes  that  he  first  notably 
served  his  people  and  their  cause. 

The  Utes  were  the  attacking  party  and 
far  outnumbered  the  Sioux  on  this  occasion. 
Many  of  their  bravest  young  men  had 
fallen,  and  the  Brules  were  face  to  face  with 
utter  annihilation,  when  Spotted  Tail,  with 
a  handful  of  daring  horsemen,  dodged 
around  the  enemy's  flank  and  fell  upon 
them  from  the  rear  with  so  much  spirit  that 
they  supposed  that  strong  reinforcements 
had  arrived,  and  retreated  in  confusion. 
The  Sioux  pursued  on  horseback;  and  it 
was  in  this  pursuit  that  the  noted  chief 
Two  Strike  gained  his  historical  name. 
But  the  chief  honors  of  the  fight  belonged 


SPOTTED  TAIL  27 

to  Spotted  Tail.  The  old  chiefs,  Con 
quering  Bear  and  the  rest,  thanked  him 
and  at  once  made  him  a  war  chief. 

It  had  been  the  firm  belief  of  Spotted 
Tail  that  it  was  unwise  to  allow  the  white 
man  so  much  freedom  in  our  country,  long 
before  the  older  chiefs  saw  any  harm  in  it. 
After  the  opening  of  the  Oregon  Trail  he, 
above  all  the  others,  was  watchful  of  the 
conduct  of  the  Americans  as  they  journeyed 
toward  the  setting  sun,  and  more  than  once 
he  remarked  in  council  that  these  white 
men  were  not  like  the  French  and  the 
Spanish,  with  whom  our  old  chiefs  had  been 
used  to  deal.  He  was  not  fully  satisfied 
with  the  agreement  with  General  Harney ; 
but  as  a  young  warrior  who  had  only  just 
gained  his  position  in  the  council,  he  could 
not  force  his  views  upon  the  older  men. 

No  sooner  had  the  Oregon  Trail  been 
secured  from  the  Sioux  than  Fort  Laramie 
and  other  frontier  posts  were  strengthened, 
and  the  soldiers  became  more  insolent  and 
overbearing  than  ever.  It  was  soon  dis- 


28  INDIAN  HEROES 

covered  that  the  whites  were  prepared  to 
violate  most  of  the  articles  of  their  treaty 
as  the  Indians  understood  it.  At  this  time, 
the  presence  of  many  Mormon  emigrants 
on  their  way  to  the  settlements  in  Utah  and 
Wyoming  added  to  the  perils  of  the  situa 
tion,  as  they  constantly  maneuvered  for 
purposes  of  their  own  to  bring  about  a 
clash  between  the  soldiers  and  the  Indians. 
Every  summer  there  were  storm-clouds 
blowing  between  these  two  —  clouds  usually 
taking  their  rise  in  some  affair  of  the  trav 
elers  along  the  trail. 

In  1854  an  event  occurred  which  has  al 
ready  been  described  and  which  snapped 
the  last  link  of  friendship  between  the  races. 

By  this  time  Spotted  Tail  had  proved  his 
courage  both  abroad  and  at  home.  He  had 
fought  a  duel  with  one  of  the  lesser  chiefs, 
by  whom  he  was  attacked.  He  killed  his 
opponent  with  an  arrow,  but  himself 
received  upon  his  head  a  blow  from  a 
battle-axe  which  brought  him  senseless  to 
the  ground.  He  was  left  for  dead,  but 


SPOTTED  TAIL  29 

fortunately  revived  just  as  the  men  were 
preparing  his  body  for  burial. 

The  Brules  sustained  him  in  this  quarrel, 
as  he  had  acted  in  self-defense ;  and  for  a 
few  years  he  led  them  in  bloody  raids 
against  the  whites  along  the  historic  trail. 
He  ambushed  many  stagecoaches  and  emi 
grant  trains,  and  was  responsible  for  way 
laying  the  Kincaid  coach  with  twenty 
thousand  dollars.  This  relentless  harrying 
of  travelers  soon  brought  General  Harney 
to  the  Brule  Sioux  to  demand  explanations 
and  reparation. 

The  old  chiefs  of  the  Brules  now  appealed 
to  Spotted  Tail  and  his  young  warriors  not 
to  bring  any  general  calamity  upon  the 
tribe.  To  the  surprise  of  all,  Spotted  Tail 
declared  that  he  would  give  himself  up. 
He  said  that  he  had  defended  the  rights  of 
his  people  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  that  he 
had  avenged  the  blood  of  their  chief,  Con 
quering  Bear,  and  that  he  was  not  afraid 
to  accept  the  consequences.  He  therefore 
voluntarily  surrendered  to  General  Harney, 


30  INDIAN  HEROES 

and  two  of  his  lieutenants,  Red  Leaf  and 
Old  Woman,  followed  his  example. 

Thus  Spotted  Tail  played  an  important 
part  at  the  very  outset  of  those  events 
which  were  soon  to  overthrow  the  free  life 
of  his  people.  I  do  not  know  how  far  he 
foresaw  what  was  to  follow;  but  whether 
so  conceived  or  not,  his  surrender  was  a 
master  stroke,  winning  for  him  not  only  the 
admiration  of  his  own  people  but  the  con 
fidence  and  respect  of  the  military. 

Thus  suddenly  he  found  himself  in  prison, 
a  hostage  for  the  good  behavior  of  his  fol 
lowers.  There  were  many  rumors  as  to  the 
punishment  reserved  for  him;  but  luckily 
for  Spotted  Tail,  the  promises  of  General 
Harney  to  the  Brule  chiefs  in  respect  to  him 
were  faithfully  kept.  One  of  his  fellow- 
prisoners  committed  suicide,  but  the  other 
held  out  bravely  for  the  two-year  term  of 
his  imprisonment.  During  the  second  year, 
it  was  well  understood  that  neither  of  the 
men  sought  to  escape,  and  they  were  given 
much  freedom.  It  was  fine  schooling  for 


SPOTTED  TAIL  31 

Spotted  Tail,  that  tireless  observer  of  the 
ways  of  the  white  man !  It  is  a  fact  that 
his  engaging  personal  qualities  won  for  him 
kindness  and  sympathy  at  the  fort  before 
the  time  came  for  his  release. 

One  day  some  Indian  horse  thieves  of 
another  tribe  stampeded  the  horses  and 
mules  belonging  to  the  garrison.  Spotted 
Tail  asked  permission  of  the  commanding 
officer  to  accompany  the  pursuers.  That 
officer,  trusting  in  the  honor  of  a  Sioux 
brave,  gave  him  a  fast  horse  and  a  good 
carbine,  and  said  to  him :  "I  depend  upon 
you  to  guide  my  soldiers  so  that  they  may 
overtake  the  thieves  and  recapture  the 
horses !" 

The  soldiers  recaptured  the  horses  with 
out  any  loss,  but  Spotted  Tail  still  followed 
the  Indians.  When  they  returned  to  the 
fort  without  him,  everybody  agreed  that  he 
would  never  turn  up.  However,  next  day 
he  did  "turn  up",  with  the  scalp  of  one  of 
the  marauders ! 

Soon  after  this  he  was  returned  to  his  own 


32  INDIAN  HEROES 

people,  who  honored  him  by  making  him 
the  successor  of  the  old  chief,  Conquering 
Bear,  whose  blood  he  had  avenged,  for 
which  act  he  had  taken  upon  himself  the 
full  responsibility.  He  had  made  good  use  of 
his  two  years  at  the  fort,  and  completed  his 
studies  of  civilization  to  his  own  satisfaction. 
From  this  time  on  he  was  desirous  of 
reconciling  the  Indian  and  the  white  man, 
thoroughly  understanding  the  uselessness 
of  opposition.  He  was  accordingly  in  con 
stant  communication  with  the  military; 
but  the  other  chiefs  did  not  understand  his 
views  and  seem  to  have  been  suspicious  of 
his  motives. 

In  1860-1864  the  Southern  Cheyennes 
and  Comanches  were  at  war  with  the  whites, 
and  some  of  the  Brules  and  Ogallalas,  who 
were  their  neighbors  and  intimates,  were 
suspected  of  complicity  with  the  hos tiles. 
Doubtless  a  few  of  their  young  men  may 
have  been  involved;  at  any  rate,  Thunder 
Bear  and  Two  Face,  together  with  a  few 
others  who  were  roving  with  the  warring 


SPOTTED  TAIL  33 

tribes,  purchased  two  captive  white  women 
and  brought  them  to  Fort  Laramie.  It 
was,  however,  reported  at  the  post  that 
these  two  men  had  maltreated  the  women 
while  under  their  care. 

Of  course,  the  commander  demanded  of 
Spotted  Tail,  then  head  chief,  that  he  give 
up  the  guilty  ones,  and  accordingly  he  had 
the  two  men  arrested  and  delivered  at  the 
fort.  At  this  there  was  an  outcry  among 
his  own  people ;  but  he  argued  that  if  the 
charges  were  true,  the  men  deserved  punish 
ment,  and  if  false,  they  should  be  tried  and 
cleared  by  process  of  law.  The  Indians 
never  quite  knew  what  evidence  was  pro 
duced  at  the  court-martial,  but  at  all  events 
the  two  men  were  hanged,  and  as  they  had 
many  influential  connections,  their  relatives 
lost  no  time  in  fomenting  trouble.  The 
Sioux  were  then  camping  close  by  the  fort 
and  it  was  midwinter,  which  facts  held 
them  in  check  for  a  month  or  two ;  but  as 
soon  as  spring  came,  they  removed  their 
camp  across  the  river  and  rose  in  rebellion. 


34  INDIAN  HEROES 

A  pitched  battle  was  fought,  in  which  the 
soldiers  got  the  worst  of  it.  Even  the 
associate  chief,  Big  Mouth,  was  against 
Spotted  Tail,  who  was  practically  forced 
against  his  will  and  judgment  to  take  up 
arms  once  more. 

At  this  juncture  came  the  sudden  and 
bloody  uprising  in  the  east  among  the 
Minnesota  Sioux,  and  Sitting  Bull's  cam 
paign  in  the  north  had  begun  in  earnest; 
while  to  the  south  the  Southern  Cheyennes, 
Comanches,  and  Kiowas  were  all  upon  the 
warpath.  Spotted  Tail  at  about  this  time 
seems  to  have  conceived  the  idea  of  uniting 
all  the  Rocky  Mountain  Indians  in  a  great 
confederacy.  He  once  said:  "Our  cause 
is  as  a  child's  cause,  in  comparison  with  the 
power  of  the  white  man,  unless  we  can  stop 
quarreling  among  ourselves  and  unite  our 
energies  for  the  common  good."  But  old- 
time  antagonisms  were  too  strong;  and  he 
was  probably  held  back  also  by  his  con 
sciousness  of  the  fact  that  the  Indians  called 
him  "the  white  man's  friend",  while  the 


SPOTTED  TAIL  35 

military  still  had  some  faith  in  him  which  he 
did  not  care  to  lose.  He  was  undoubtedly 
one  of  the  brainiest  and  most  brilliant  Sioux 
who  ever  lived ;  and  while  he  could  not  help 
being  to  a  large  extent  in  sympathy  with 
the  feeling  of  his  race  against  the  invader, 
yet  he  alone  foresaw  the  inevitable  outcome, 
and  the  problem  as  it  presented  itself  to  him 
was  simply  this:  "What  is  the  best  policy 
to  pursue  in  the  existing  situation?" 

Here  is  his  speech  as  it  has  been  given  to 
me,  delivered  at  the  great  council  on  the 
Powder  River,  just  before  the  attack  on 
Fort  Phil  Kearny.  We  can  imagine  that 
he  threw  all  his  wonderful  tact  and  personal 
magnetism  into  this  last  effort  at  concilia 
tion. 

"'Hay,  hay,  hay!  Alas,  alas!'  Thus 
speaks  the  old  man,  when  he  knows  that 
his  former  vigor  and  freedom  is  gone  from 
him  forever.  So  we  may  exclaim  to-day, 
Alas !  There  is  a  time  appointed  to  all 
things.  Think  for  a  moment  how  many 
multitudes  of  the  animal  tribes  we  ourselves 


36  INDIAN  HEROES 

have  destroyed  !  Look  upon  the  snow  that 
appears  to-day  —  to-morrow  it  is  water ! 
Listen  to  the  dirge  of  the  dry  leaves,  that 
were  green  and  vigorous  but  a  few  moons 
before !  We  are  a  part  of  this  life  and  it 
seems  that  our  time  is  come. 

:<Yet  note  how  the  decay  of  one  nation 
invigorates  another.  This  strange  white 
man  —  consider  him,  his  gifts  are  manifold  ! 
His  tireless  brain,  his  busy  hand  do  wonders 
for  his  race.  Those  things  which  we  de 
spise  he  holds  as  treasures ;  yet  he  is  so 
great  and  so  flourishing  that  there  must  be 
some  virtue  and  truth  in  his  philosophy. 
I  wish  to  say  to  you,  my  friends :  Be  not 
moved  alone  by  heated  arguments  and 
thoughts  of  revenge !  These  are  for  the 
young.  We  are  young  no  longer;  let  us 
think  well,  and  give  counsel  as  old  men  !" 

These  words  were  greeted  with  an  omi 
nous  silence.  Not  even  the  customary 
"How !"  of  assent  followed  the  speech,  and 
Sitting  Bull  immediately  got  up  and  replied 
in  the  celebrated  harangue  which  will  be 


SPOTTED  TAIL  37 

introduced  under  his  own  name  in  another 
chapter.  The  situation  was  critical  for 
Spotted  Tail  —  the  only  man  present  to 
advocate  submission  to  the  stronger  race 
whose  ultimate  supremacy  he  recognized 
as  certain.  The  decision  to  attack  Fort 
Phil  Kearny  was  unanimous  without  him, 
and  in  order  to  hold  his  position  among  his 
tribesmen  he  joined  in  the  charge.  Several 
bullets  passed  through  his  war  bonnet,  and 
he  was  slightly  wounded. 

When  the  commission  of  1867-1868  was 
sent  out  to  negotiate  with  the  Sioux, 
Spotted  Tail  was  ready  to  meet  them,  and 
eager  to  obtain  for  his  people  the  very 
best  terms  that  he  could.  He  often  puzzled 
and  embarrassed  them  by  his  remarkable 
speeches,  the  pointed  questions  that  he 
put,  and  his  telling  allusions  to  former 
negotiations.  Meanwhile  Red  Cloud  would 
not  come  into  the  council  until  after  several 
deputations  of  Indians  had  been  sent  to 
him,  and  Sitting  Bull  did  not  come  at  all. 

The  famous  treaty  was  signed,  and  from 


38  INDIAN  HEROES 

this  time  on  Spotted  Tail  never  again  took 
up  arms  against  the  whites.  On  the  con 
trary,  it  was  mainly  attributed  to  his  in 
fluence  that  the  hostiles  were  subdued  much 
sooner  than  might  have  been  expected. 
He  came  into  the  reservation  with  his  band, 
urged  his  young  men  to  enlist  as  govern 
ment  scouts,  and  assisted  materially  in  all 
negotiations.  The  hostile  chiefs  no  longer 
influenced  his  action,  and  as  soon  as  they 
had  all  been  brought  under  military  control, 
General  Crook  named  Spotted  Tail  head 
chief  of  the  Sioux,  thus  humiliating  Red 
Cloud  and  arousing  jealousy  and  ill-feeling 
among  the  Ogallalas.  In  order  to  avoid 
trouble,  he  prudently  separated  himself 
from  the  other  bands,  and  moved  to  the  new 
agency  on  Beaver  Creek  (Fort  Sheridan, 
Nebraska),  which  was  called  "Spotted  Tail 
Agency." 

Just  before  the  daring  war  leader,  Crazy 
Horse,  surrendered  to  the  military,  he  went 
down  to  the  agency  and  roundly  rebuked 
Spotted  Tail  for  signing  away  the  freedom 


SPOTTED  TAIL  39 

of  his  people.  From  the  point  of  view  of 
the  irreconcilables,  the  diplomatic  chief  was 
a  "trimmer"  and  a  traitor ;  and  many  of  the 
Sioux  have  tried  to  implicate  him  in  the 
conspiracy  against  Crazy  Horse  which  led 
to  his  assassination,  but  I  hold  that  the 
facts  do  not  bear  out  this  charge. 

The  name  of  Spotted  Tail  was  promi 
nently  before  the  people  during  the  rest 
of  his  life.  An  obscure  orphan,  he  had 
achieved  distinction  by  his  bravery  and 
sagacity ;  but  he  copied  the  white  politician 
too  closely  after  he  entered  the  reservation. 
He  became  a  good  manipulator,  and  was 
made  conceited  and  overbearing  by  the 
attentions  of  the  military  and  of  the  general 
public.  Furthermore,  there  was  an  old 
feud  in  his  immediate  band  which  affected 
him  closely.  Against  him  for  many  years 
were  the  followers  of  Big  Mouth,  whom  he 
had  killed  in  a  duel ;  and  also  a  party  led  by 
a  son  and  a  nephew  of  the  old  chief,  Con 
quering  Bear,  whom  Spotted  Tail  had  suc 
ceeded  at  his  death.  These  two  men  had 


40  INDIAN  HEROES 

hoped  that  one  or  the  other  of  them  might 
obtain  the  succession. 

Crow  Dog,  the  nephew  of  Conquering 
Bear,  more  than  once  taunted  Spotted  Tail 
with  the  fact  that  he  was  chief  not  by  the 
will  of  the  tribe,  but  by  the  help  of  the 
white  soldiers,  and  told  him  that  he  would 
"keep  a  bullet  for  him"  in  case  he  ever 
disgraced  his  high  position.  Thus  retribu 
tion  lay  in  wait  for  him  while  at  the  height 
of  his  fame.  Several  high-handed  actions 
of  his  at  this  time,  including  his  elopement 
with  another  man's  wife,  increased  his 
unpopularity  with  a  large  element  of  his 
own  tribe.  On  the  eve  of  the  chief's 
departure  for  Washington,  to  negotiate  (or 
so  they  suspected)  for  the  sale  of  more  of 
their  land,  Crow  Dog  took  up  his  gun  and 
fulfilled  his  threat,  regarding  himself,  and 
regarded  by  his  supporters,  not  as  a  mur 
derer,  but  as  an  executioner. 

Such  was  the  end  of  the  man  who  may 
justly  be  called  the  Pontiac  of  the  west. 
He  possessed  a  remarkable  mind  and 


SPOTTED  TAIL  41 

extraordinary  foresight  for  an  untutored 
savage;  and  yet  he  is  the  only  one  of  our 
great  men  to  be  remembered  with  more 
honor  by  the  white  man,  perhaps,  than  by 
his  own  people. 


LITTLE   CROW 

CHIEF  LITTLE  CROW  was  the  eld 
est  son  of  Cetanwakuwa  (Charging 
Hawk).  It  was  on  account  of  his 
father's  name,  mistranslated  Crow,  that  he 
was  called  by  the  whites  "Little  Crow." 
His  real  name  was  Taoyateduta,  His  Red 
People. 

As  far  back  as  Minnesota  history  goes, 
a  band  of  the  Sioux  called  Kaposia  (Light 
Weight,  because  they  were  said  to  travel 
light)  inhabited  the  Mille  Lacs  region. 
Later  they  dwelt  about  St.  Croix  Falls,  and 
still  later  near  St.  Paul.  In  1840,  Cetan 
wakuwa  was  still  living  in  what  is  now  West 
St.  Paul,  but  he  was  soon  after  killed  by  the 
accidental  discharge  of  his  gun. 

It  was  during  a  period  of  demoralization 
for  the  Kaposias  that  Little  Crow  became 
the  leader  of  his  people.  His  father,  a  well- 

42 


LITTLE  CROW  43 

known  chief,  had  three  wives,  all  from 
different  bands  of  the  Sioux.  He  was  the 
only  son  of  the  first  wife,  a  Leaf  Dweller. 
There  were  two  sons  of  the  second  and  two 
of  the  third  wife,  and  the  second  set  of 
brothers  conspired  to  kill  their  half-brother 
in  order  to  keep  the  chieftainship  in  the 
family. 

Two  kegs  of  whisky  were  bought,  and 
all  the  men  of  the  tribe  invited  to  a  feast. 
It  was  planned  to  pick  some  sort  of  quarrel 
when  all  were  drunk,  and  in  the  confusion 
Little  Crow  was  to  be  murdered.  The  plot 
went  smoothly  until  the  last  instant,  when 
a  young  brave  saved  the  intended  victim 
by  knocking  the  gun  aside  with  his  hatchet, 
so  that  the  shot  went  wild.  However,  it 
broke  his  right  arm,  which  remained  crooked 
all  his  life.  The  friends  of  the  young 
chieftain  hastily  withdrew,  avoiding  a  gen 
eral  fight;  and  later  the  council  of  the 
Kaposias  condemned  the  two  brothers, 
both  of  whom  were  executed,  leaving  him 
in  undisputed  possession. 


44  INDIAN   HEROES 

Such  was  the  opening  of  a  stormy  career. 
Little  Crow's  mother  had  been  a  chief's 
daughter,  celebrated  for  her  beauty  and 
spirit,  and  it  is  said  that  she  used  to  plunge 
him  into  the  lake  through  a  hole  in  the  ice, 
rubbing  him  afterward  with  snow,  to 
strengthen  his  nerves,  and  that  she  would 
remain  with  him  alone  in  the  deep  woods 
for  days  at  a  time,  so  that  he  might  know 
that  solitude  is  good,  and  not  fear  to  be 
alone  with  nature. 

"My  son,"  she  would  say,  "if  you  are  to 
be  a  leader  c "  men,  you  must  listen  in  silence 
to  the  mystery,  the  spirit." 

At  a  very  early  age  she  made  a  feast  for 
her  boy  and  announced  that  he  would  fast 
two  days.  This  is  what  might  be  called  a 
formal  presentation  to  the  spirit  or  God. 
She  greatly  desired  him  to  become  a  worthy 
leader  according  to  the  ideas  of  her  people. 
It  appears  that  she  left  her  husband  when 
he  took  a  second  wife,  and  lived  with  her 
own  band  till  her  death.  She  did  not 
marry  again. 


LITTLE  CROW  45 

Little  Crow  was  an  intensely  ambitious 
man  and  without  physical  fear.  He  was 
always  in  perfect  training  and  early  ac 
quired  the  art  of  warfare  of  the  Indian  type. 
It  is  told  of  him  that  when  he  was  about  ten 
years  old,  he  engaged  with  other  boys  in  a 
sham  battle  on  the  shore  of  a  lake  near  St. 
Paul.  Both  sides  were  encamped  at  a  little 
distance  from  one  another,  and  the  rule  was 
that  the  enemy  must  be  surprised,  otherwise 
the  attack  would  be  considered  a  failure. 
One  must  come  within  so  many  paces 
undiscovered  in  order  to  be  counted  suc 
cessful.  Our  hero  had  a  favorite  dog 
which,  at  his  earnest  request,  was  allowed 
to  take  part  in  the  game,  and  as  a  scout  he 
entered  the  enemy  camp  unseen,  by  the 
help  of  his  dog. 

When  he  was  twelve,  he  saved  the  life  of 
a  companion  who  had  broken  through  the 
ice  by  tying  the  end  of  a  pack  line  to  a  log, 
then  at  great  risk  to  himself  carrying  it  to 
the  edge  of  the  hole  where  his  comrade  went 
down.  It  is  said  that  he  also  broke  in,  but 


46  INDIAN  HEROES 

both  boys  saved  themselves  by  means  of 
the  line. 

As  a  young  man,  Little  Crow  was  always 
ready  to  serve  his  people  as  a  messenger  to 
other  tribes,  a  duty  involving  much  danger 
and  hardship.  He  was  also  known  as  one 
of  the  best  hunters  in  his  band.  Although 
still  young,  he  had  already  a  war  record 
when  he  became  chief  of  the  Kaposias,  at 
a  time  when  the  Sioux  were  facing  the 
greatest  and  most  far-reaching  changes  that 
had  ever  come  to  them. 

At  this  juncture  in  the  history  of  the 
northwest  and  its  native  inhabitants,  the 
various  fur  companies  had  paramount  in 
fluence.  They  did  not  hesitate  to  impress 
the  Indians  with  the  idea  that  they  were 
the  authorized  representatives  of  the  white 
races  or  peoples,  and  they  were  quick  to 
realize  the  desirability  of  controlling  the 
natives  through  their  most  influential  chiefs. 
Little  Crow  became  quite  popular  with  post 
traders  and  factors.  He  was  an  orator  as 
well  as  a  diplomat,  and  one  of  the  first  of  his 


LITTLE  CROW  47 

nation  to  indulge  in  politics  and  promote 
unstable  schemes  to  the  detriment  of  his 
people. 

When  the  United  States  Government 
went  into  the  business  of  acquiring  territory 
from  the  Indians  so  that  the  flood  of  western 
settlement  might  not  be  checked,  commis 
sions  were  sent  out  to  negotiate  treaties, 
and  in  case  of  failure  it  often  happened  that 
a  delegation  of  leading  men  of  the  tribe  were 
invited  to  Washington.  At  that  period, 
these  visiting  chiefs,  attired  in  all  the 
splendor  of  their  costumes  of  ceremony, 
were  treated  like  ambassadors  from  foreign 
countries. 

One  winter  in  the  late  eighteen-fifties,  a 
major  general  of  the  army  gave  a  dinner  to 
the  Indian  chiefs  then  in  the  city,  and  on 
this  occasion  Little  Crow  was  appointed 
toastmaster.  There  were  present  a  number 
of  Senators  and  members  of  Congress,  as 
well  as  judges  of  the  Supreme  Court, 
cabinet  officers,  and  other  distinguished 
citizens.  When  all  the  guests  were  seated, 


48  INDIAN  HEROES 

the  Sioux  arose  and  addressed  them  with 
much  dignity  as  follows : 

"Warriors  and  friends:  I  am  informed 
that  the  great  white  war  chief  who  of  his 
generosity  and  comradeship  has  given  us 
this  feast,  has  expressed  the  wish  that  we 
may  follow  to-night  the  usages  and  customs 
of  my  people.  In  other  words,  this  is  a 
warriors'  feast,  a  braves*  meal.  I  call  upon 
the  O  jib  way  chief,  the  Hole-in-the-Day,  to 
give  the  lone  wolf's  hunger  call,  after  which 
we  will  join  him  in  our  usual  manner." 

The  tall  and  handsome  O  jib  way  now  rose 
and  straightened  his  superb  form  to  utter 
one  of  the  clearest  and  longest  wolf  howls 
that  was  ever  heard  in  Washington,  and  at 
its  close  came  a  tremendous  burst  of  war 
whoops  that  fairly  rent  the  air,  and  no 
doubt  electrified  the  officials  there  present. 

On  one  occasion  Little  Crow  was  invited 
by  the  commander  of  Fort  Ridgeley,  Min 
nesota,  to  call  at  the  fort.  On  his  way  back, 
in  company  with  a  half-breed  named  Ross 
and  the  interpreter  Mitchell,  he  was  am- 


LITTLE  CROW  49 

bushed  by  a  party  of  O  jib  ways,  and  again 
wounded  in  the  same  arm  that  had  been 
broken  in  his  attempted  assassination.  His 
companion  Ross  was  killed,  but  he  managed 
to  hold  the  war  party  at  bay  until  help  came 
and  thus  saved  his  life. 

More  and  more  as  time  passed,  this 
naturally  brave  and  ambitious  man  became 
a  prey  to  the  selfish  interests  of  the  traders 
and  politicians.  The  immediate  causes  of 
the  Sioux  outbreak  of  1862  came  in  quick 
succession  to  inflame  to  desperate  action  an 
outraged  people.  The  two  bands  on  the 
so-called  "lower  reservations"  in  Minnesota 
were  Indians  for  whom  nature  had  provided 
most  abundantly  in  their  free  existence. 
After  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  of 
friendly  intercourse  first  with  the  French, 
then  the  English,  and  finally  the  Americans, 
they  found  themselves  cut  off  from  every 
natural  resource,  on  a  tract  of  land  twenty 
miles  by  thirty,  which  to  them  was  virtual 
imprisonment.  By  treaty  stipulation  with 
the  government,  they  were  to  be  fed  and 


50  INDIAN  HEROES 

clothed,  houses  were  to  be  built  for  them, 
the  men  taught  agriculture,  and  schools 
provided  for  the  children.  In  addition  to 
this,  a  trust  fund  of  a  million  and  a  half  was 
to  be  set  aside  for  them,  [at  five  per  cent 
interest,  the  interest  to  be  paid  annually 
per  capita.  They  had  signed  the  treaty 
under  pressure,  believing  in  these  promises 
on  the  faith  of  a  great  nation. 

However,  on  entering  the  new  life,  the 
resources  so  rosily  described  to  them  failed 
to  materialize.  Many  families  faced  star 
vation  every  winter,  their  only  support  the 
store  of  the  Indian  trader,  who  was  baiting 
his  trap  for  their  destruction.  Very  grad 
ually  they  awoke  to  the  facts.  At  last  it 
was  planned  to  secure  from  them  the  north 
half  of  their  reservation  for  ninety-eight 
thousand  dollars,  but  it  was  not  explained 
to  the  Indians  that  the  traders  were  to 
receive  all  the  money.  Little  Crow  made 
the  greatest  mistake  of  his  life  when  he 
signed  this  agreement. 

Meanwhile,  to  make  matters  worse,  the 


LITTLE  CROW  51 

cash  annuities  were  not  paid  for  nearly  two 
years.  Civil  War  had  begun.  When  it 
was  learned  that  the  traders  had  taken  all 
of  the  ninety -eight  thousand  dollars  "on 
account",  there  was  very  bitter  feeling. 
In  fact,  the  heads  of  the  leading  stores  were 
afraid  to  go  about  as  usual,  and  most  of 
them  stayed  in  St.  Paul.  Little  Crow  was 
justly  held  in  part  responsible  for  the  deceit, 
and  his  life  was  not  safe. 

The  murder  of  a  white  family  near  Acton, 
Minnesota,  by  a  party  of  Indian  duck 
hunters  in  August,  1862,  precipitated  the 
break.  Messengers  were  sent  to  every 
village  with  the  news,  and  at  the  villages  of 
Little  Crow  and  Little  Six  the  war  council 
was  red-hot.  It  was  proposed  to  take 
advantage  of  the  fact  that  north  and  south 
were  at  war  to  wipe  out  the  white  settlers 
and  to  regain  their  freedom.  A  few  men 
stood  out  against  such  a  desperate  step,  but 
the  conflagration  had  gone  beyond  their 
control. 

There  were  many  mixed  bloods  among 


52  INDIAN  HEROES 

these  Sioux,  and  some  of  the  Indians  held 
that  these  were  accomplices  of  the  white 
people  in  robbing  them  of  their  possessions, 
therefore  their  lives  should  not  be  spared. 
My  father,  Many  Lightnings,  who  was 
practically  the  leader  of  the  Mankato  band 
(for  Mankato,  the  chief,  was  a  weak  man), 
fought  desperately  for  the  lives  of  the  half- 
breeds  and  the  missionaries.  The  chiefs 
had  great  confidence  in  my  father,  yet  they 
would  not  commit  themselves,  since  their 
braves  were  clamoring  for  blood.  Little 
Crow  had  been  accused  of  all  the  mis 
fortunes  of  his  tribe,  and  he  now  hoped  by 
leading  them  against  the  whites  to  regain 
his  prestige  with  his  people,  and  a  part  at 
least  of  their  lost  domain. 

There  were  moments  when  the  pacifists 
were  in  grave  peril.  It  was  almost  day 
break  when  my  father  saw  that  the  ap 
proaching  calamity  could  not  be  prevented. 
He  and  two  others  said  to  Little  Crow :  "If 
you  want  war,  you  must  personally  lead 
your  men  to-morrow.  We  will  not  murder 


LITTLE  CROW  53 

women  and  children,  but  we  will  fight  the 
soldiers  when  they  come."  They  then  left 
the  council  and  hastened  to  warn  my 
brother-in-law,  Faribault,  and  others  who 
were  in  danger. 

Little  Crow  declared  he  would  be  seen  in 
the  front  of  every  battle,  and  it  is  true  that 
he  was  foremost  in  all  the  succeeding  blood 
shed,  urging  his  warriors  to  spare  none.  He 
ordered  his  war  leader,  Many  Hail,  to  fire 
the  first  shot,  killing  the  trader  James 
Lynd,  in  the  door  of  his  store. 

After  a  year  of  fighting  in  which  he  had 
met  with  defeat,  the  discredited  chief  re 
treated  to  Fort  Garry,  now  Winnipeg, 
Manitoba,  where,  together  with  Standing 
Buffalo,  he  undertook  secret  negotiations 
with  his  old  friends  the  Indian  traders. 
There  was  now  a  price  upon  his  head,  but 
he  planned  to  reach  St.  Paul  undetected 
and  there  surrender  himself  to  his  friends, 
who  he  hoped  would  protect  him  in  return 
for  past  favors.  It  is  true  that  he  had 
helped  them  to  secure  perhaps  the  finest 


54  INDIAN  HEROES 

country  held  by  any  Indian  nation  for  a 
mere  song. 

He  left  Canada  with  a  few  trusted  friends, 
including  his  youngest  and  favorite  son. 
When  within  two  or  three  days'  journey 
of  St.  Paul,  he  told  the  others  to  return, 
keeping  with  him  only  his  son,  Wowinape, 
who  was  but  fifteen  years  of  age.  He  meant 
to  steal  into  the  city  by  night  and  go 
straight  to  Governor  Ramsey,  who  was  his 
personal  friend.  He  was  very  hungry  and 
was  obliged  to  keep  to  the  shelter  of  the 
deep  woods.  The  next  morning,  as  he  was 
picking  and  eating  wild  raspberries,  he  was 
seen  by  a  wood -chopper  named  Lamson. 
The  man  did  not  know  who  he  was.  He  only 
knew  that  he  was  an  Indian,  and  that  was 
enough  for  him,  so  he  lifted  his  rifle  to  his 
shoulder  and  fired,  then  ran  at  his  best  pace. 
The  brilliant  but  misguided  chief,  who  had 
made  that  part  of  the  country  unsafe  for 
any  white  man  to  live  in,  sank  to  the  ground 
and  died  without  a  struggle.  The  boy  took 
his  father's  gun  and  made  some  effort  to 


LITTLE  CROW  55 

find  the  assassin,  but  as  he  did  not  even 
know  in  which  direction  to  look  for  him, 
he  soon  gave  up  the  attempt  and  went  back 
to  his  friends. 

Meanwhile  Lamson  reached  home  breath 
less  and  made  his  report.  The  body  of  the 
chief  was  found  and  identified,  in  part  by 
the  twice  broken  arm,  and  this  arm  and  his 
scalp  may  be  seen  to-day  in  the  collection 
of  the  Minnesota  Historical  Society. 


TAMAHAY 

THERE  was  once  a  Sioux  brave  who 
declared  that  he  would  die  young, 
yet  not  by  his  own  hand.  Tama- 
hay  was  of  heroic  proportions,  herculean  in 
strength,  a  superb  runner;  in  fact,  he  had 
all  the  physical  qualities  of  an  athlete  or 
a  typical  Indian.  In  his  scanty  dress,  he 
was  beautiful  as  an  antique  statue  in  living 
bronze.  When  a  mere  youth,  seventeen 
years  of  age,  he  met  with  an  accident  which 
determined  his  career.  It  was  the  loss  of 
an  eye,  a  fatal  injury  to  the  sensitive 
and  high-spirited  Indian.  He  announced 
his  purpose  in  these  words : 

"The  'Great  Mystery'  has  decreed  that 
I  must  be  disgraced.  There  will  be  no 
pleasure  for  me  now,  and  I  shall  be  ridiculed 
even  by  my  enemies.  It  will  be  well  for 
me  to  enter  soon  into  Paradise,  for  I  shall 

66 


TAMAHAY  57 

be  happy  in  spending  my  youth  there.  But 
I  will  sell  my  life  dearly.  Hereafter  my 
name  shall  be  spoken  in  the  traditions  of  our 
race."  With  this  speech  Tamahay  began 
his  career. 

He  now  sought  glory  and  defied  danger 
with  even  more  than  the  ordinary  Indian 
recklessness.  He  accepted  a  personal  friend, 
which  was  a  custom  among  the  Sioux, 
where  each  man  chose  a  companion  for  life 
and  death.  The  tie  was  stronger  than  one 
of  blood  relationship,  a  friendship  sealed 
by  solemn  vow  and  covenant.  Tamahay's 
intimate  was  fortunately  almost  his  equal 
in  physical  powers,  and  the  pair  became  the 
terror  of  neighboring  tribes,  with  whom  the 
Dakotas  were  continually  at  war.  They 
made  frequent  raids  upon  their  enemies 
and  were  usually  successful,  although  not 
without  thrilling  experiences  and  almost 
miraculous  escapes. 

Upon  one  of  these  occasions  the  two 
friends  went  north  into  the  country  of  the 
Ojibways.  After  many  days'  journey,  they 


58  INDIAN  HEROES 

discovered  a  small  village  of  the  foe.  The 
wicked  Tamahay  proposed  to  his  associate 
that  they  should  arrange  their  toilets  after 
the  fashion  of  the  O  jib  ways,  and  go  among 
them;  "and  perhaps,"  he  added,  "we  will 
indulge  in  a  little  flirtation  with  their  pretty 
maids,  and  when  we  have  had  enough  of  the 
fun  we  can  take  the  scalp  of  a  brave  or  two 
and  retreat!"  His  friend  construed  his 
daring  proposition  to  be  a  test  of  courage, 
which  it  would  not  become  him,  as  a  brave, 
to  decline ;  therefore  he  assented  with  a  show 
of  cheerfulness. 

The  handsome  strangers  were  well  re 
ceived  by  the  Ojibway  girls,  but  their 
perilous  amusement  was  brought  to  an 
untimely  close.  A  young  maiden  prema 
turely  discovered  their  true  characters,  and 
her  cry  of  alarm  brought  instantly  to  her 
side  a  jealous  youth,  who  had  been  watching 
them  from  his  place  of  concealment.  With 
him  Tamahay  had  a  single-handed  contest, 
and  before  a  general  alarm  was  given  he  had 
dispatched  the  foe  and  fled  with  his  scalp. 


TAMAHAY  59 

The  unfortunate  brave  had  been  a  favorite 
and  a  leader  among  the  tribe ;  therefore  the 
maddened  O  jib  ways  were  soon  in  hot  pur 
suit.  The  Sioux  braves  were  fine  runners, 
yet  they  were  finally  driven  out  upon  the 
peninsula  of  a  lake.  As  they  became  sepa 
rated  in  their  retreat,  Tamahay  shouted, 
"I'll  meet  you  at  the  mouth  of  the  St. 
Croix  River,  or  in  the  spirit  land!"  Both 
managed  to  swim  the  lake,  and  so  made  good 
their  escape. 

The  exploits  of  this  man  were  not  all  of  a 
warlike  nature.  He  was  a  great  traveler 
and  an  expert  scout,  and  he  had  some 
wonderful  experiences  with  wild  animals. 
He  was  once  sent,  with  his  intimate  friend, 
on  a  scout  for  game.  They  were  on  ponies. 

They  located  a  herd  of  buffaloes,  and  on 
their  return  to  the  camp  espied  a  lonely 
buffalo.  Tamahay  suggested  that  they 
should  chase  it  in  order  to  take  some  fresh 
meat,  as  the  law  of  the  tribe  allowed  in  the 
case  of  a  single  animal.  His  pony  stumbled 
and  threw  him,  after  they  had  wounded 


60  INDIAN  HEROES 

the  bison,  and  the  latter  attacked  the  dis 
mounted  man  viciously.  But  he,  as  usual, 
was  on  the  alert.  He  "took  the  bull  by  the 
horns", as  the  saying  is,  and  cleverly  strad 
dled  him  on  the  neck.  The  buffalo  had  no 
means  of  harming  his  enemy,  but  pawed  the 
earth  and  struggled  until  his  strength  was 
exhausted,  when  the  Indian  used  his  knife 
on  the  animal's  throat.  On  account  of  this 
feat  he  received  the  name  "  Held-the-Bull- 
by-the-Horns." 

The  origin  of  his  name  "Tamahay"  is 
related  as  follows.  When  he  was  a  young 
man  he  accompanied  the  chief  Wabashaw 
to  Mackinaw,  Michigan,  together  with  some 
other  warriors.  He  was  out  with  his  friend 
one  day,  viewing  the  wonderful  sights  in  the 
"white  man's  country",  when  they  came 
upon  a  sow  with  her  numerous  pink  little 
progeny.  He  was  greatly  amused  and 
picked  up  one  of  the  young  pigs,  but  as  soon 
as  it  squealed  the  mother  ran  furiously  after 
them.  He  kept  the  pig  and  fled  with  it, 
still  laughing ;  but  his  friend  was  soon  com- 


TAMAHAY  61 

pelled  to  run  up  the  conveniently  inclined 
trunk  of  a  fallen  tree,  while  our  hero  reached 
the  shore  of  a  lake  near  by,  and  plunged  into 
the  water.  He  swam  and  dived  as  long  as 
he  could,  but  the  beast  continued  to  threaten 
him  with  her  sharp  teeth,  till,  almost  ex 
hausted,  he  swam  again  to  shore,  where  his 
friend  came  up  and  dispatched  the  vicious 
animal  with  a  club.  On  account  of  this 
watery  adventure  he  was  at  once  called 
Tamahay,  meaning  Pike.  He  earned  many 
other  names,  but  preferred  this  one,  because 
it  was  the  name  borne  by  a  great  friend 
of  his,  Lieutenant  Pike,  the  first  officer 
of  the  United  States  Army  who  came  to 
Minnesota  for  the  purpose  of  exploring  the 
sources  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  of 
making  peace  with  the  natives.  Tamahay 
assisted  this  officer  in  obtaining  land  from 
the  Sioux  upon  which  to  build  Fort  Snelling. 
He  appears  in  history  under  the  name  of 
"Tahamie"  or  the  "One-Eyed  Sioux." 

Always  ready  to  brave  danger  and  unpop 
ularity,  Tamahay  was  the  only  Sioux  who 


62  INDIAN  HEROES 

sided  with  the  United  States  in  her  struggle 
with  Great  Britain  in  1812.  For  having 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  Americans,  he 
was  ill-treated  by  the  British  officers  and 
free  traders,  who  for  a  long  time  controlled 
the  northwest,  even  after  peace  had  been 
effected  between  the  two  nations.  At  one 
time  he  was  confined  in  a  fort  called  McKay, 
where  now  stands  the  town  of  Prairie  du 
Chien,  Wisconsin.  He  had  just  returned 
from  St.  Louis,  and  was  suspected  of  exciting 
his  people  to  rebel  against  British  subjects. 
His  life  was  even  threatened,  but  to  this 
Tamahay  merely  replied  that  he  was  ready 
to  die.  A  few  months  later,  this  fort  was 
restored  to  the  United  States,  and  upon 
leaving  it  the  British  set  the  buildings  on 
fire,  though  the  United  States  flag  floated 
above  them.  Some  Indians  who  were  pres 
ent  shouted  to  Tamahay,  "Your  friends', 
the  Americans',  fort  is  on  fire!"  He  re 
sponded  with  a  war  whoop,  rushed  into  the 
blazing  fort,  and  brought  out  the  flag.  For 
this  brave  act  he  was  rewarded  with  a 


TAMAHAY  63 

present  of  d  Sag  and  medal.  He  was  never 
tired  of  displaying  this  medal  and  his 
recommendation  papers,  and  even  pre 
served  to  the  end  of  his  life  an  old  colonial 
stovepipe  hat,  which  he  wore  upon  state 
occasions. 

The  Sioux  long  referred  to  the  president 
of  the  United  States  as  "Tamahay's  father." 

The  following  story  is  told  of  him  in  his 
later  days.  He  attempted  one  day  to  cross 
the  first  bridge  over  the  Mississippi  River, 
but  was  not  recognized  by  the  sentinel,  who 
would  not  allow  him  to  pass  until  he  paid 
the  toll.  Tamahay,  who  was  a  privileged 
character,  explained  as  best  he  could,  with 
gestures  and  broken  English,  that  he  was 
always  permitted  to  pass  free;  but  as  the 
sentinel  still  refused,  and  even  threatened 
him  with  his  bayonet,  the  old  Indian  silently 
seized  the  musket,  threw  it  down  into  the 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  went  home. 
Later  in  the  day  a  company  of  soldiers 
appeared  in  the  Indian  village,  and  escorted 
our  hero  to  a  sort  of  court-martial  at  the 


64  INDIAN  HEROES 

fort.  When  he  was  questioned  by  the 
Colonel,  he  simply  replied:  "If  you  were 
threatened  by  any  one  with  a  weapon,  you 
would,  in  self-defense/either  disable  the  man 
or  get  rid  of  the  weapon.  I  did  the  latter, 
thinking  that  you  would  need  the  man  more 
than  the  gun." 

Finally  the  officer  said  to  them,  "I  see 
you  are  both  partly  wrong.  Some  one  must 
be  responsible  for  the  loss  of  the  gun ;  there 
fore,  you  two  will  wrestle,  and  the  man  who 
is  downed  must  dive  for  the  weapon  to  the 
bottom  of  the  river." 

Scarcely  was  this  speech  ended  when 
Tamahay  was  upon  the  soldier,  who  was 
surprised  both  by  the  order  and  by  the 
unexpected  readiness  of  the  wily  old  Indian, 
so  that  he  was  not  prepared,  and  the  Sioux 
had  the  vantage  hold.  In  a  moment  the 
bluecoat  was  down,  amid  shouts  and  peals 
of  laughter  from  his  comrades.  Having 
thrown  his  man,  the  other  turned  and  went 
home  without  a  word. 

Sad  to  say,  he  acquired  a  great  appetite 


TAMAHAY  65 

for  "minne-wakan",  or  "mysterious  water  ", 
as  the  Sioux  call  it,  which  proved  a  source 
of  trouble  to  him  in  his  old  age.  It  is  told 
of  him  that  he  was  treated  one  winter's  day 
to  a  drink  of  whisky  in  a  trader's  store. 
He  afterwards  went  home;  but  even  the 
severe  blizzard  which  soon  arose  did  not 
prevent  him  from  returning  in  the  night  to 
the  friendly  trader.  He  awoke  that  worthy 
from  sleep  about  twelve  o'clock  by  singing 
his  death  dirge  upon  the  roof  of  the  log 
cabin.  In  another  moment  he  had  jumped 
down  the  mud  chimney,  and  into  the  blazing 
embers  of  a  fire.  The  trader  had  to  pour 
out  to  him  some  whisky  in  a  tin  pail,  after 
which  he  begged  the  old  man  to  "be  good 
and  go  home."  On  the  eve  of  the  so-called 
"Minnesota Massacre"  by  the  Sioux  in  1862, 
Tamahay,  although  he  was  then  very  old 
and  had  almost  lost  the  use  of  his  remaining 
eye,  made  a  famous  speech  at  the  meeting 
of  the  conspirators.  These  are  some  of  his 
words,  as  reported  to  me  by  persons  who 
were  present. 


66  INDIAN  HEROES 

"What!  What!  is  this  Little  Crow? 
Is  that  Little  Six?  You,  too,  White  Dog, 
are  you  here  ?  I  cannot  see  well  now,  but 
I  can  see  with  my  mind's  eye  the  stream  of 
blood  you  are  about  to  pour  upon  the  bosom 
of  this  mother  of  ours"  (meaning  the 
earth).  "I  stand  before  you  on  three  legs, 
but  the  third  leg  has  brought  me  wisdom" 
[referring  to  the  staff  with  which  he  sup 
ported  himself],  "I  have  traveled  much, 
I  have  visited  among  the  people  whom  you 
think  to  defy.  This  means  the  total  sur 
render  of  our  beautiful  land,  the  land  of 
a  thousand  lakes  and  streams.  Methinks 
you  are  about  to  commit  an  act  like  that  of 
the  porcupine,  who  climbs  a  tree,  balances 
himself  upon  a  springy  bough,  and  then 
gnaws  off  the  very  bough  upon  which  he  is 
sitting;  hence,  when  it  gives  way,  he  falls 
upon  the  sharp  rocks  below.  Behold  the 
great  Pontiac,  whose  grave  I  saw  near  St. 
Louis ;  he  was  murdered  while  an  exile  from 
his  country !  Think  of  the  brave  Black 
Hawk !  Methinks  his  spirit  is  still  wailing 


TAMAHAY  67 

through  Winconsin  and  Illinois  for  his  lost 
people !  I  do  not  say  you  have  no  cause 
to  complain,  but  to  resist  is  self-destruction. 
I  am  done." 

It  is  supposed  that  this  speech  was  his 
last,  and  it  was  made,  though  vainly,  in 
defense  of  the  Americans  whom  he  had 
loved.  He  died  at  Fort  Pierre,  South 
Dakota,  in  1864.  His  people  say  that  he 
died  a  natural  death,  of  old  age.  And  yet 
his  exploits  are  not  forgotten.  Thus  lived 
and  departed  a  most  active  and  fearless 
Sioux,  Tamahay,  who  desired  to  die  young ! 


GALL 

CHIEF  GALL  was  one  of  the  most  ag 
gressive  leaders  of  the  Sioux  nation 
in  their  last  stand  for  freedom. 

The  westward  pressure  of  civilization 
during  the  past  three  centuries  has  been 
tremendous.  When  our  hemisphere  was 
"discovered",  it  had  been  inhabited  by  the 
natives  for  untold  ages,  but  it  was  held 
undiscovered  because  the  original  owners 
did  not  chart  or  advertise  it.  Yet  some  of 
them  at  least  had  developed  ideals  of  life 
which  included  real  liberty  and  equality 
to  all  men,  and  they  did  not  recognize 
individual  ownership  in  land  or  other  prop 
erty  beyond  actual  necessity.  It  was  a  soul 
development  leading  to  essential  manhood. 
Under  this  system  they  brought  forth  some 
striking  characters. 

Gall  was  considered  by  both  Indians  and 

68 


GALL  69 

whites  to  be  a  most  impressive  type  of 
physical  manhood.  From  his  picture  you 
can  judge  of  this  for  yourself. 

Let  us  follow  his  trail.  He  was  no  ten 
derfoot.  He  never  asked  a  soft  place  for 
himself.  He  always  played  the  game  ac 
cording  to  the  rules  and  to  a  finish.  To  be 
sure,  like  every  other  man,  he  made  some 
mistakes,  but  he  was  an  Indian  and  never 
acted  the  coward. 

The  earliest  stories  told  of  his  life  and 
doings  indicate  the  spirit  of  the  man  in  that 
of  the  boy. 

When  he  was  only  about  three  years  old, 
the  Blackfoot  band  of  Sioux  were  on  their 
usual  roving  hunt,  following  the  buffalo 
while  living  their  natural  happy  life  upon 
the  wonderful  wide  prairies  of  the  Dakotas. 

It  was  the  way  of  every  Sioux  mother  to 
adjust  her  household  effects  on  such  dogs 
and  pack  ponies  as  she  could  muster  from 
day  to  day,  often  lending  one  or  two  to 
accommodate  some  other  woman  whose 
horse  or  dog  had  died,  or  perhaps  had  been 


70  INDIAN  HEROES 

among  those  stampeded  and  carried  away 
by  a  raiding  band  of  Crow  warriors.  On 
this  particular  occasion,  the  mother  of  our 
young  Sioux  brave,  Matohinshda,  or  Bear- 
Shedding-His-Hair  (Gall's  childhood  name), 
intrusted  her  boy  to  an  old  Eskimo  pack 
dog,  experienced  and  reliable,  except  per 
haps  when  unduly  excited  or  very  thirsty. 

On  the  day  of  removing  camp  the  caravan 
made  its  morning  march  up  the  Powder 
River.  Upon  the  wide  table-land  the  wo 
men  were  busily  digging  teepsinna  (an  edible 
sweetish  root,  much  used  by  them)  as  the 
moving  village  slowly  progressed.  As  usual 
at  such  times,  the  trail  was  wide.  An  old 
jack  rabbit  had  waited  too  long  in  hiding. 
Now,  finding  himself  almost  surrounded 
by  the  mighty  plains  people,  he  sprang  up 
suddenly,  his  feathery  ears  conspicuously 
erect,  a  dangerous  challenge  to  the  dogs  and 
the  people. 

A  whoop  went  up.  Every  dog  accepted 
the  challenge.  Forgotten  were  the  bundles, 
the  kits,  even  the  babies  they  were  drawing 


GALL  71 

or  carrying.  The  chase  was  on,  and  the 
screams  of  the  women  reechoed  from  the 
opposite  cliffs  of  the  Powder,  mingled  with 
the  yelps  of  dogs  and  the  neighing  of 
horses.  The  hand  of  every  man  was  against 
the  daring  warrior,  the  lone  Jack,  and  the 
confusion  was  great. 

When  the  fleeing  one  cleared  the  mass  of 
his  enemies,  he  emerged  with  a  swiftness 
that  commanded  respect  and  gave  promise 
of  a  determined  chase.  Behind  him,  his 
pursuers  stretched  out  in  a  thin  line,  first 
the  speedy,  unburdened  dogs  and  then  the 
travois  dogs  headed  by  the  old  Eskimo  with 
his  precious  freight.  The  youthful  Gall 
was  in  a  travois,  a  basket  mounted  on  trail 
ing  poles  and  harnessed  to  the  sides  of  the 
animal. 

"Hey!  hey!  they  are  gaining  on  him!" 
a  warrior  shouted.  At  this  juncture  two 
of  the  canines  had  almost  nabbed  their 
furry  prey  by  the  back.  But  he  was  too 
cunning  for  them.  He  dropped  instantly 
and  sent  both  dogs  over  his  head,  rolling 


72  INDIAN  HEROES 

and  spinning,  then  made  another  flight  at 
right  angles  to  the  first.  This  gave  the 
Eskimo  a  chance  to  cut  the  triangle.  He 
gained  fifty  yards,  but  being  heavily  handi 
capped,  two  unladen  dogs  passed  him. 
The  same  trick  was  repeated  by  the  Jack, 
and  this  time  he  saved  himself  from  instant 
death  by  a  double  loop  and  was  now  running 
directly  toward  the  crowd,  followed  by  a 
dozen  or  more  dogs.  He  was  losing  speed, 
but  likewise  his  pursuers  were  dropping  off 
steadily.  Only  the  sturdy  Eskimo  dog  held 
to  his  even  gait,  and  behind  him  in  the  frail 
travois  leaned  forward  the  little  Mato- 
hinshda,  nude  save  a  breech  clout,  his  left 
hand  holding  fast  the  convenient  tail  of  his 
dog,  the  right  grasping  firmly  one  of  the  poles 
of  the  travois.  His  black  eyes  were  bulging 
almost  out  of  their  sockets ;  his  long  hair 
flowed  out  behind  like  a  stream  of  dark 
water. 

The  Jack  now  ran  directly  toward  the 
howling  spectators,  but  his  marvelous  speed 
and  alertness  were  on  the  wane ;  while  on 


GALL  73 

the  other  hand  his  foremost  pursuer,  who 
had  taken  part  in  hundreds  of  similar  events, 
had  every  confidence  in  his  own  endurance. 
Each  leap  brought  him  nearer,  fiercer  and 
more  determined.  The  last  effort  of  the 
Jack  was  to  lose  himself  in  the  crowd,  like 
a  fish  in  muddy  water ;  but  the  big  dog  made 
the  one  needed  leap  with  unerring  aim  and 
his  teeth  flashed  as  he  caught  the  rabbit  in 
viselike  jaws  and  held  him  limp  in  air,  a 
victor ! 

The  people  rushed  up  to  him  as  he  laid 
the  victim  down,  and  foremost  among  them 
was  the  frantic  mother  of  Matohinshda,  or 
Gall.  "Michinkshe!  michinkshe !"  (My 
son !  my  son !)  she  screamed  as  she  drew 
near.  The  boy  seemed  to  be  none  the 
worse  for  his  experience.  "Mother!"  he 
cried,  "my  dog  is  brave  :  he  got  the  rabbit ! " 
She  snatched  him  off  the  travois,  but  he 
struggled  out  of  her  arms  to  look  upon  his 
dog  lovingly  and  admiringly.  Old  men  and 
boys  crowded  about  the  hero  of  the  day,  the 
dog,  and  the  thoughtful  grandmother  of 


(74  INDIAN  HEROES 

Matohinshda  unharnessed  him  and  poured 
some  water  from  a  parfleche  water  bag  into 
a  basin.  "Here,  my  grandson,  give  your 
friend  something  to  drink." 

"How,  hechetu,"  pronounced  an  old 
warrior  no  longer  hi  active  service.  "This 
may  be  only  an  accident,  an  ordinary 
affair;  but  such  things  sometimes  indicate 
a  career.  The  boy  has  had  a  wonderful  ride. 
I  prophesy  that  he  will  one  day  hold  the 
attention  of  all  the  people  with  his  doings." 

This  is  the  first  remembered  story  of  the 
famous  chief,  but  other  boyish  exploits  fore 
told  the  man  he  was  destined  to  be.  He 
fought  many  sham  battles,  some  successful 
and  others  not ;  but  he  was  always  a  fierce 
fighter  and  a  good  loser. 

Once  he  was  engaged  in  a  battle  with 
snowballs.  There  were  probably  nearly 
a  hundred  boys  on  each  side,  and  the  rule 
was  that  every  fair  hit  made  the  receiver 
officially  dead.  He  must  not  participate 
further,  but  must  remain  just  where  he  was 
struck. 


GALL  75 

Gall's  side  was  fast  losing,  and  the  battle 
was  growing  hotter  every  minute  when  the 
youthful  warrior  worked  toward  an  old 
water  hole  and  took  up  his  position  there. 
His  side  was  soon  annihilated  and  there 
were  eleven  men  left  to  fight  him.  He  was 
pressed  close  in  the  wash-out,  and  as  he 
dodged  under  cover  before  a  volley  of 
snowballs,  there  suddenly  emerged  in  his 
stead  a  huge  gray  wolf.  His  opponents 
fled  in  every  direction  in  superstitious 
terror,  for  they  thought  he  had  been  trans 
formed  into  the  animal.  To  their  astonish 
ment  he  came  out  on  the  farther  side  and 
ran  to  the  line  of  safety,  a  winner ! 

It  happened  that  the  wolf's  den  had  been 
partly  covered  with  snow  so  that  no  one 
had  noticed  it  until  the  yells  of  the  boys 
aroused  the  inmate,  and  he  beat  a  hasty 
retreat.  The  boys  always  looked  upon  this 
incident  as  an  omen. 

Gall  had  an  amiable  disposition  but  was 
quick  to  resent  insult  or  injustice.  This 
sometimes  involved  him  in  difficulties,  but 


76  INDIAN  HEROES 

he  seldom  fought  without  good  cause  and 
was  popular  with  his  associates.  One  of 
his  characteristics  was  his  ability  to  or 
ganize,  and  this  was  a  large  factor  in  his 
leadership  when  he  became  a  man.  He 
was  tried  in  many  ways,  and  never  was 
known  to  hesitate  when  it  was  a  question 
of  physical  courage  and  endurance.  He 
entered  the  public  service  early  in  life,  but 
not  until  he  had  proved  himself  competent 
and  passed  all  tests. 

When  a  mere  boy,  he  was  once  scouting 
for  game  in  midwinter,  far  from  camp,  and 
was  overtaken  by  a  three  days'  blizzard. 
He  was  forced  to  abandon  his  horse  and  lie 
under  the  snow  for  that  length  of  time.  He 
afterward  said  he  was  not  particularly 
hungry;  it  was  thirst  and  stiffness  from 
which  he  suffered  most.  One  reason  the 
Indian  so  loved  his  horse  or  dog  was  that 
at  such  times  the  animal  would  stay  by  him 
like  a  brother.  On  this  occasion  Gall's 
pony  was  not  more  than  a  stone's  throw 
away  when  the  storm  subsided  and  the  sun 


GALL  77 

shone.  There  was  a  herd  of  buffalo  in  plain 
sight,  and  the  young  hunter  was  not  long  in 
procuring  a  meal. 

This  chief's  contemporaries  still  recall 
his  wrestling  match  with  the  equally  power 
ful  Cheyenne  boy,  Roman  Nose,  who  after 
ward  became  a  chief  well  known  to  American 
history.  It  was  a  custom  of  the  north 
western  Indians,  when  two  friendly  tribes 
camped  together,  to  establish  the  physical 
and  athletic  supremacy  of  the  youth  of  the 
respective  camps. 

The  "  Che-hoo-hoo "  is  a  wrestling  game 
in  which  there  may  be  any  number  on 
a  side,  but  the  numbers  are  equal.  All 
the  boys  of  each  camp  are  called  together 
by  a  leader  chosen  for  the  purpose  and  draw 
themselves  up  in  line  of  battle ;  then  each  at 
a  given  signal  attacks  his  opponent. 

In  this  memorable  contest,  Matohinshda, 
or  Gall,  was  placed  opposite  Roman  Nose. 
The  whole  people  turned  out  as  spectators 
of  the  struggle,  and  the  battlefield  was  a 
plateau  between  the  two  camps,  in  the 


T8  INDIAN  HEROES 

midst  of  picturesque  Bad  Lands.  There 
were  many  athletic  youths  present,  but 
these  two  were  really  the  Apollos  of  the  two 
tribes. 

In  this  kind  of  sport  it  is  not  allowed 
to  strike  with  the  hand,  nor  catch  around 
the  neck,  nor  kick,  nor  pull  by  the  hair. 
One  may  break  away  and  run  a  few  yards 
to  get  a  fresh  start,  or  clinch,  or  catch  as 
catch  can.  When  a  boy  is  thrown  and  held 
to  the  ground,  he  is  counted  out.  If  a  boy 
has  met  his  superior,  he  may  drop  to  the 
ground  to  escape  rough  handling,  but  it  is 
very  seldom  one  gives  up  without  a  full 
trial  of  strength. 

It  seemed  almost  like  a  real  battle,  so 
great  was  the  enthusiasm,  as  the  shouts  of 
sympathizers  on  both  sides  went  up  in  a 
mighty  chorus.  At  last  all  were  either 
conquerors  or  subdued  except  Gall  and 
Roman  Nose.  The  pair  seemed  equally 
matched.  Both  were  stripped  to  the  breech 
clout,  now  tugging  like  two  young  buffalo 
or  elk  in  mating  time,  again  writhing  and 


GALL  79 

twisting  like  serpents.  At  times  they  fought 
like  two  wild  stallions,  straining  every  mus 
cle  of  arms,  legs,  and  back  in  the  struggle. 
Every  now  and  then  one  was  lifted  off  his 
feet  for  a  moment,  but  came  down  planted 
like  a  tree,  and  after  swaying  to  and  fro  soon 
became  rigid  again. 

All  eyes  were  upon  the  champions. 
Finally,  either  by  trick  or  main  force,  Gall 
laid  the  other  sprawling  upon  the  ground 
and  held  him  fast  for  a  minute,  then 
released  him  and  stood  erect,  panting,  a 
master  youth.  Shout  after  shout  went  up 
on  the  Sioux  side  of  the  camp.  The  mother 
of  Roman  Nose  came  forward  and  threw  a 
superbly  worked  buffalo  robe  over  Gall, 
whose  mother  returned  the  compliment  by 
covering  the  young  Cheyenne  with  a  hand 
some  blanket. 

Undoubtedly  these  early  contests  had 
their  influence  upon  our  hero's  career.  It 
was  his  habit  to  appear  most  opportunely 
in  a  crisis,  and  in  a  striking  and  dramatic 
manner  to  take  command  of  the  situation. 


80  INDIAN  HEROES 

The  best  known  example  of  this  is  his 
entrance  on  the  scene  of  confusion  when 
Reno  surprised  the  Sioux  on  the  Little  Big 
Horn.  Many  of  the  excitable  youths,  al 
most  unarmed,  rushed  madly  and  blindly 
to  meet  the  intruder,  and  the  scene  might 
have  unnerved  even  an  experienced  warrior. 
It  was  Gall,  with  not  a  garment  upon  his 
superb  body,  who  on  his  black  charger 
dashed  ahead  of  the  boys  and  faced  them. 
He  stopped  them  on  the  dry  creek,  while 
the  bullets  of  Reno's  men  whistled  about 
their  ears. 

"Hold  hard,  men!  Steady,  we  are  not 
ready  yet !  Wait  for  more  guns,  more 
horses,  and  the  day  is  yours  !" 

They  obeyed,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the 
signal  to  charge  was  given,  and  Reno  re 
treated  pell  mell  before  the  onset  of  the 
Sioux. 

Sitting  Bull  had  confidence  in  his  men 
so  long  as  Gall  planned  and  directed  the 
attack,  whether  against  United  States  sol 
diers  or  the  warriors  of  another  tribe.  He 


GALL  81 

was  a  strategist,  and  able  in  a  twinkling 
to  note  and  seize  upon  an  advantage.  He 
was  really  the  mainstay  of  Sitting  Bull's 
effective  last  stand.  He  consistently  up 
held  his  people's  right  to  their  buffalo  plains 
and  believed  that  they  should  hold  the 
government  strictly  to  its  agreements  with 
them.  When  the  treaty  of  1868  was  dis 
regarded,  he  agreed  with  Sitting  Bull  in 
defending  the  last  of  their  once  vast  domain, 
and  after  the  Custer  battle  entered  Canada 
with  his  chief.  They  hoped  to  bring  their 
lost  cause  before  the  English  government 
and  were  much  disappointed  when  they  were 
asked  to  return  to  the  United  States. 

Gall  finally  reported  at  Fort  Peck,  Mon 
tana,  in  1881,  and  brought  half  of  the 
Hunkpapa  band  with  him,  whereupon  he 
was  soon  followed  by  Sitting  Bull  himself. 
Although  they  had  been  promised  by  the 
United  States  commission  who  went  to 
Canada  to  treat  with  them  that  they  would 
not  be  punished  if  they  returned,  no  sooner 
had  Gall  come  down  than  a  part  of  his 


82  INDIAN  HEROES 

people  were  attacked,  and  in  the  spring  they 
were  all  brought  to  Fort  Randall  and  held 
as  military  prisoners.  From  this  point  they 
were  returned  to  Standing  Rock  agency. 

When  "Buffalo  Bill"  successfully  launched 
his  first  show,  he  made  every  effort  to  se 
cure  both  Sitting  Bull  and  Gall  for  his 
leading  attractions.  The  military  was  in 
complete  accord  with  him  in  this,  for  they 
still  had  grave  suspicions  of  these  two 
leaders.  While  Sitting  Bull  reluctantly 
agreed,  Gall  haughtily  said  :  "I  am  not  an 
animal  to  be  exhibited  before  the  crowd," 
and  retired  to  his  teepee.  His  spirit  was 
much  worn,  and  he  lost  strength  from  that 
time  on.  That  superb  manhood  dwindled, 
and  in  a  few  years  he  died.  He  was  a  real 
hero  of  a  free  and  natural  people,  a  type 
that  is  never  to  be  seen  again. 


CRAZY  HORSE 

CRAZY  HORSE  was  born  on  the 
publican  River  about  1845.    He  was 
killed  at  Fort  Robinson,  Nebraska, 
in   1877,   so   that  he  lived  barely  thirty- 
three  years. 

He  was  an  uncommonly  handsome  man. 
While  not  the  equal  of  Gall  in  magnificence 
and  imposing  stature,  he  was  physically 
perfect,  an  Apollo  in  symmetry.  Further 
more  he  was  a  true  type  of  Indian  refine 
ment  and  grace.  He  was  modest  and 
courteous  as  Chief  Joseph ;  the  difference 
is  that  he  was  a  born  warrior,  while  Joseph 
was  not.  However,  he  was  a  gentle  war 
rior,  a  true  brave,  who  stood  for  the  high 
est  ideal  of  the  Sioux.  Notwithstanding  all 
that  biased  historians  have  said  of  him,  it 
is  only  fair  to  judge  a  man  by  the  estimate 

83 


84  INDIAN  HEROES 

of  his  own  people  rather  than  that  of  his 
enemies. 

The  boyhood  of  Crazy  Horse  was  passed 
in  the  days  when  the  western  Sioux  saw  a 
white  man  but  seldom,  and  then  it  was 
usually  a  trader  or  a  soldier.  He  was 
carefully  brought  up  according  to  the 
tribal  customs.  At  that  period  the  Sioux 
prided  themselves  on  the  training  and  de 
velopment  of  their  sons  and  daughters, 
and  not  a  step  in  that  development  was 
overlooked  as  an  excuse  to  bring  the  child 
before  the  public  by  giving  a  feast  in  its 
honor.  At  such  times  the  parents  often 
gave  so  generously  to  the  needy  that  they 
almost  impoverished  themselves,  thus  set 
ting  an  example  to  the  child  of  self-denial 
for  the  general  good.  His  first  step  alone, 
the  first  word  spoken,  first  game  killed, 
the  attainment  of  manhood  or  womanhood, 
each  was  the  occasion  of  a  feast  and  dance 
in  his  honor,  at  which  the  poor  always 
benefited  to  the  full  extent  of  the  parents' 
ability. 


CRAZY  HORSE  85 

Big-heartedness,  generosity,  courage,  and 
self-denial  are  the  qualifications  of  a  pub 
lic  servant,  and  the  average  Indian  was 
keen  to  follow  this  ideal.  As  every  one 
knows,  these  characteristic  traits  become  a 
weakness  when  he  enters  a  life  founded 
upon  commerce  and  gain.  Under  such 
conditions  the  life  of  Crazy  Horse  began. 
His  mother,  like  other  mothers,  tender  and 
watchful  of  her  boy,  would  never  once 
place  an  obstacle  in  the  way  of  his  father's 
severe  physical  training.  They  laid  the 
spiritual  and  patriotic  foundations  of  his 
education  in  such  a  way  that  he  early  be 
came  conscious  of  the  demands  of  public 
service. 

He  was  perhaps  four  or  five  years  old 
when  the  band  was  snowed  in  one  severe 
winter.  They  were  very  short  of  food, 
but  his  father  was  a  tireless  hunter.  The 
buffalo,  their  main  dependence,  were  not 
to  be  found,  but  he  was  out  in  the  storm 
and  cold  every  day  and  finally  brought  in 
two  antelopes.  The  little  boy  got  on  his 


86  INDIAN  HEROES 

pet  pony  and  rode  through  the  camp,  tell 
ing  the  old  folks  to  come  to  his  mother's 
teepee  for  meat.  It  turned  out  that  neither 
his  father  nor  mother  had  authorized  him 
to  do  this.  Before  they  knew  it,  old  men 
and  women  were  lined  up  before  the  teepee 
home,  ready  to  receive  the  meat,  in  answer 
to  his  invitation.  As  a  result,  the  mother 
had  to  distribute  nearly  all  of  it,  keeping 
only  enough  for  two  meals. 
fe  On  the  following  day  the  child  asked 
for  food.  His  mother  told  him  that  the 
old  folks  had  taken  it  all,  and  added : 
"Remember,  my  son,  they  went  home 
singing  praises  in  your  name,  not  my 
name  or  your  father's.  You  must  be 
brave.  You  must  live  up  to  your  reputa 
tion." 

Crazy  Horse  loved  horses,  and  his  father 
gave  him  a  pony  of  his  own  when  he  was 
very  young.  He  became  a  fine  horseman 
and  accompanied  his  father  on  buffalo 
hunts,  holding  the  pack  horses  while  the 
men  chased  the  buffalo  and  thus  gradually 


CRAZY  HORSE  87 

learning  the  art.  In  those  days  the  Sioux 
had  but  few  guns,  and  the  hunting  was 
mostly  done  with  bow  and  arrows. 

Another  story  told  of  his  boyhood  is 
that  when  he  was  about  twelve  he  went 
to  look  for  the  ponies  with  his  little  brother, 
whom  he  loved  much,  and  took  a  great 
deal  of  pains  to  teach  what  he  had  already 
learned.  They  came  to  some  wild  cherry 
trees  full  of  ripe  fruit,  and  while  they  were 
enjoying  it,  the  brothers  were  startled  by 
the  growl  and  sudden  rush  of  a  bear. 
Young  Crazy  Horse  pushed  his  brother  up 
into  the  nearest  tree  and  himself  sprang 
upon  the  back  of  one  of  the  horses,  which 
was  frightened  and  ran  some  distance  be 
fore  he  could  control  him.  As  soon  as  he 
could,  however,  he  turned  him  about  and 
came  back,  yelling  and  swinging  his  lariat 
over  his  head.  The  bear  at  first  showed 
fight  but  finally  turned  and  ran.  The  old 
man  who  told  me  this  story  added  that 
young  as  he  was,  he  had  some  power,  so 
that  even  a  grizzly  did  not  care  to  tackle 


88  INDIAN  HEROES 

him.  I  believe  it  is  a  fact  that  a  silver-tip 
will  dare  anything  except  a  bell  or  a  lasso 
line,  so  that  accidentally  the  boy  had  hit 
upon  the  very  thing  which  would  drive 
him  off. 

It  was  usual  for  Sioux  boys  of  his  day  to 
wait  in  the  field  after  a  buffalo  hunt  until 
sundown,  when  the  young  calves  would 
come  out  in  the  open,  hungrily  seeking 
their  mothers.  Then  these  wild  children 
would  enjoy  a  mimic  hunt,  and  lasso  the 
calves  or  drive  them  into  camp.  Crazy 
Horse  was  found  to  be  a  determined  little 
fellow,  and  it  was  settled  one  day  among  the 
larger  boys  that  they  would  "  stump  "  him 
to  ride  a  good-sized  bull  calf.  He  rode  the 
calf,  and  stayed  on  its  back  while  it  ran 
bawling  over  the  hills,  followed  by  the 
other  boys  on  their  ponies,  until  his  strange 
mount  stood  trembling  and  exhausted. 
;-^At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  joined  a  war 
party  against  the  Gros  Ventres.  He  was 
well  in  the  front  of  the  charge,  and  at  once 
established  his  bravery  by  following  closely 


CRAZY  HORSE  89 

one  of  the  foremost  Sioux  warriors,  by  the 
name  of  Hump,  drawing  the  enemy's  fire 
and  circling  around  their  advance  guard. 
Suddenly  Hump's  horse  was  shot  from 
under  him,  and  there  was  a  rush  of  warriors 
to  kill  or  capture  him  while  down.  But 
amidst  a  shower  of  arrows  the  youth  leaped 
from  his  pony,  helped  his  friend  into  his 
own  saddle,  sprang  up  behind  him,  and 
carried  him  off  in  safety,  although  they 
were  hotly  pursued  by  the  enemy.  Thus 
he  associated  himself  in  his  maiden  battle 
with  the  wizard  of  Indian  warfare,  and 
Hump,  who  was  then  at  the  height  of  his 
own  career,  pronounced  Crazy  Horse  the 
coming  warrior  of  the  Teton  Sioux. 

At  this  period  of  his  life,  as  was  cus 
tomary  with  the  best  young  men,  he  spent 
much  time  in  prayer  and  solitude.  Just 
what  happened  in  these  days  of  his  fasting 
in  the  wilderness  and  upon  the  crown  of 
bald  buttes,  no  one  will  ever  know;  for 
these  things  may  only  be  known  when  one 
has  lived  through  the  battles  of  life  to  an 


90  INDIAN  HEROES 

honored  old  age.  He  was  much  sought 
after  by  his  youthful  associates,  but  was 
noticeably  reserved  and  modest ;  yet  in  the 
moment  of  danger  he  at  once  rose  above 
them  all  —  a  natural  leader  !  Crazy  Horse 
was  a  typical  Sioux  brave,  and  from  the 
point  of  view  of  our  race  an  ideal  hero, 
living  at  the  height  of  the  epical  progress 
of  the  American  Indian  and  maintaining  in 
his  own  character  all  that  was  most  subtle 
and  ennobling  of  their  spiritual  life,  and 
that  has  since  been  lost  in  the  contact  with 
a  material  civilization. 

He  loved  Hump,  that  peerless  warrior, 
and  the  two  became  close  friends,  in  spite 
of  the  difference  in  age.  Men  called  them 
"the  grizzly  and  his  cub."  Again  and 
again  the  pair  saved  the  day  for  the  Sioux 
in  a  skirmish  with  some  neighboring  tribe. 
But  one  day  they  undertook  a  losing 
battle  against  the  Snakes.  The  Sioux  were 
in  full  retreat  and  were  fast  being  over 
whelmed  by  superior  numbers.  The  old 
warrior  fell  in  a  last  desperate  charge; 


CRAZY  HORSE  91 

but  Crazy  Horse  and  his  younger  brother, 
though  dismounted,  killed  two  of  the  enemy 
and  thus  made  good  their  retreat. 

It  was  observed  of  him  that  when  he 
pursued  the  enemy  into  their  stronghold, 
as  he  was  wont  to  do,  he  often  refrained 
from  killing,  and  simply  struck  them  with 
a  switch,  showing  that  he  did  not  fear 
their  weapons  nor  care  to  waste  his  upon 
them.  In  attempting  this  very  feat,  he 
lost  this  only  brother  of  his,  who  emulated 
him  closely.  A  party  of  young  warriors, 
led  by  Crazy  Horse,  had  dashed  upon  a 
frontier  post,  killed  one  of  the  sentinels, 
stampeded  the  horses,  and  pursued  the 
herder  to  the  very  gate  of  the  stockade, 
thus  drawing  upon  themselves  the  fire  of 
the  garrison.  The  leader  escaped  without 
a  scratch,  but  his  young  brother  was 
brought  down  from  his  horse  and  killed. 

While  he  was  still  under  twenty,  there 
was  a  great  winter  buffalo  hunt,  and  he 
came  back  with  ten  buffaloes'  tongues 
which  he  sent  to  the  council  lodge  for  the 


92  INDIAN  HEROES 

councilors'  feast.  He  had  in  one  winter 
day  killed  ten  buffalo  cows  with  his  bow 
and  arrows,  and  the  unsuccessful  hunters 
or  those  who  had  no  swift  ponies  were 
made  happy  by  his  generosity.  When  the 
hunters  returned,  these  came  chanting 
songs  of  thanks.  He  knew  that  his  father 
was  an  expert  hunter  and  had  a  good  horse, 
so  he  took  no  meat  home,  putting  in 
practice  the  spirit  of  his  early  teaching. 

He  attained  his  majority  at  the  crisis  of 
the  difficulties  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Sioux.  Even  before  that  time, 
Crazy  Horse  had  already  proved  his  worth 
to  his  people  in  Indian  warfare.  He  had 
risked  his  life  again  and  again,  and  in  some 
instances  it  was  considered  almost  a  miracle 
that  he  had  saved  others  as  well  as  him 
self.  He  was  no  orator  nor  was  he  the 
son  of  a  chief.  His  success  and  influence 
was  purely  a  matter  of  personality.  He 
had  never  fought  the  whites  up  to  this 
time,  and  indeed  no  "coup"  was  counted 
for  killing  or  scalping  a  white  man. 


CRAZY  HORSE  93 

Young  Crazy  Horse  was  twenty-one 
years  old  when  all  the  Teton  Sioux  chiefs 
(the  western  or  plains  dwellers)  met  in 
council  to  determine  upon  their  future 
policy  toward  the  invader.  Their  former 
agreements  had  been  by  individual  bands, 
each  for  itself,  and  every  one  was  friendly. 
They  reasoned  that  the  country  was  wide, 
and  that  the  white  traders  should  be  made 
welcome.  Up  to  this  time  they  had  an 
ticipated  no  conflict.  They  had  permitted 
the  Oregon  Trail,  but  now  to  their  astonish 
ment  forts  were  built  and  garrisoned  in 
their  territory. 

Most  of  the  chiefs  advocated  a  strong 
resistance.  There  were  a  few  influential 
men  who  desired  still  to  live  in  peace,  and 
who  were  willing  to  make  another  treaty. 
Among  these  were  White  Bull,  Two  Kettle, 
Four  Bears,  and  Swift  Bear.  Even  Spotted 
Tail,  afterward  the  great  peace  chief,  was 
at  this  time  with  the  majority,  who  de 
cided  in  the  year  1866  to  defend  their  rights 
and  territory  by  force.  Attacks  were  to  be 


94  INDIAN  HEROES 

made  upon  the  forts  within  their  country 
and  on  every  trespasser  on  the  same. 

Crazy  Horse  took  no  part  in  the  dis 
cussion,  but  he  and  all  the  young  warriors 
were  in  accord  with  the  decision  of  the 
council.  Although  so  young,  he  was  al 
ready  a  leader  among  them.  Other  prom 
inent  young  braves  were  Sword  (brother 
of  the  man  of  that  name  who  was  long 
captain  of  police  at  Pine  Ridge),  the 
younger  Hump,  Charging  Bear,  Spotted 
Elk,  Crow  King,  No  Water,  Big  Road, 
He  Dog,  the  nephew  of  Red  Cloud,  and 
Touch-the-Cloud,  intimate  friend  of  Crazy 
Horse. 

The  attack  on  Fort  Phil  Kearny  was  the 
first  fruits  of  the  new  policy,  and  here 
Crazy  Horse  was  chosen  to  lead  the  attack 
on  the  woodchoppers,  designed  to  draw 
the  soldiers  out  of  the  fort,  while  an  army 
of  six  hundred  lay  in  wait  for  them.  The 
success  of  this  stratagem  was  further  en 
hanced  by  his  masterful  handling  of  his 
men.  From  this  time  on  a  general  war 


CRAZY  HORSE  95 

was  inaugurated;  Sitting  Bull  looked  to 
him  as  a  principal  war  leader,  and  even  the 
Cheyenne  chiefs,  allies  of  the  Sioux,  prac 
tically  acknowledged  his  leadership.  Yet 
during  the  following  ten  years  of  defensive 
war  he  was  never  known  to  make  a  speech, 
though  his  teepee  was  the  rendezvous  of 
the  young  men.  He  was  depended  upon 
to  put  into  action  the  decisions  of  the 
council,  and  was  frequently  consulted  by 
the  older  chiefs. 

Like  Osceola,  he  rose  suddenly ;  like 
Tecumseh  he  was  always  impatient  for 
battle ;  like  Pontiac,  he  fought  on  while 
his  allies  were  suing  for  peace,  and  like 
Grant,  the  silent  soldier,  he  was  a  man  of 
deeds  and  not  of  words.  He  won  from 
Custer  and  Fetterman  and  Crook.  He 
won  every  battle  that  he  undertook,  with 
the  exception  of  one  or  two  occasions  when 
he  was  surprised  in  the  midst  of  his  women 
and  children,  and  even  then  he  managed 
to  extricate  himself  in  safety  from  a  dif 
ficult  position. 


96  INDIAN  HEROES 

Early  in  the  year  1876,  his  runners 
brought  word  from  Sitting  Bull  that  all 
the  roving  bands  would  converge  upon  the 
upper  Tongue  River  in  Montana  for  sum 
mer  feasts  and  conferences.  There  was 
conflicting  news  from  the  reservation.  It 
was  rumored  that  the  army  would  fight 
the  Sioux  to  a  finish;  again,  it  was  said 
that  another  commission  would  be  sent 
out  to  treat  with  them. 

The  Indians  came  together  early  in 
June,  and  formed  a  series  of  encampments 
stretching  out  from  three  to  four  miles, 
each  band  keeping  separate  camp.  On 
June  17,  scouts  came  in  and  reported  the 
advance  of  a  large  body  of  troops  under 
General  Crook.  The  council  sent  Crazy 
Horse  with  seven  hundred  men  to  meet 
and  attack  him.  These  were  nearly  all 
young  men,  many  of  them  under  twenty, 
the  flower  of  the  hostile  Sioux.  They  set 
out  at  night  so  as  to  steal  a  march  upon 
the  enemy,  but  within  three  or  four  miles 
of  his  camp  they  came  unexpectedly  upon 


CRAZY  HORSE  97 

some  of  his  Crow  scouts.  There  was  a 
hurried  exchange  of  shots ;  the  Crows  fled 
back  to  Crook's  camp,  pursued  by  the 
Sioux.  The  soldiers  had  their  warning, 
and  it  was  impossible  to  enter  the  well- 
protected  camp.  Again  and  again  Crazy 
Horse  charged  with  his  bravest  men,  in 
the  attempt  to  bring  the  troops  into  the 
open,  but  he  succeeded  only  in  drawing 
their  fire.  Toward  afternoon  he  withdrew, 
and  returned  to  camp  disappointed.  His 
scouts  remained  to  watch  Crook's  move 
ments,  and  later  brought  word  that  he 
had  retreated  to  Goose  Creek  and  seemed 
to  have  no  further  disposition  to  disturb 
the  Sioux.  It  is  well  known  to  us  that  it 
is  Crook  rather  than  Reno  who  is  to  be 
blamed  for  cowardice  in  connection  with 
Custer's  fate.  The  latter  had  no  chance 
to  do  anything,  he  was  lucky  to  save 
himself;  but  if  Crook  had  kept  on  his 
way,  as  ordered,  to  meet  Terry,  with  his 
one  thousand  regulars  and  two  hundred 
Crow  and  Shoshone  scouts,  he  would  in- 


98  INDIAN  HEROES 

evitably  have  intercepted  Custer  in  his 
advance  and  saved  the  day  for  him,  and 
war  with  the  Sioux  would  have  ended 
right  there.  Instead  of  this,  he  fell  back 
upon  Fort  Meade,  eating  his  horses  on  the 
way,  in  a  country  swarming  with  game, 
for  fear  of  Crazy  Horse  and  his  braves ! 

The  Indians  now  crossed  the  divide 
between  the  Tongue  and  the  Little  Big 
Horn,  where  they  felt  safe  from  immediate 
pursuit.  Here,  with  all  their  precautions, 
they  were  caught  unawares  by  General 
Custer,  in  the  midst  of  their  midday  games 
and  festivities,  while  many  were  out  upon 
the  daily  hunt. 

On  this  twenty-fifth  of  June,  1876,  the 
great  camp  was  scattered  for  three  miles 
or  more  along  the  level  river  bottom,  back 
of  the  thin  line  of  cottonwoods  —  five 
circular  rows  of  teepees,  ranging  from  half 
a  mile  to  a  mile  and  a  half  in  circumference. 
Here  and  there  stood  out  a  large,  white, 
solitary  teepee ;  these  were  the  lodges  or 
"clubs"  of  the  young  men.  Crazy  Horse 


CRAZY  HORSE  99 

was  a  member  of  the  "Strong  Hearts" 
and  the  "Tokala"  or  Fox  lodge.  He  was 
watching  a  game  of  ring-toss  when  the 
warning  came  from  the  southern  end  of 
the  camp  of  the  approach  of  troops. 

The  Sioux  and  the  Cheyennes  were 
"minute  men",  and  although  taken  by 
surprise,  they  instantly  responded.  Mean 
while,  the  women  and  children  were  thrown 
into  confusion.  Dogs  were  howling,  ponies 
running  hither  and  thither,  pursued  by 
their  owners,  while  many  of  the  old  men 
were  singing  their  lodge  songs  to  encourage 
the  warriors,  or  praising  the  "strong  heart" 
of  Crazy  Horse. 

That  leader  had  quickly  saddled  his 
favorite  war  pony  and  was  starting  with 
his  young  men  for  the  south  end  of  the 
camp,  when  a  fresh  alarm  came  from  the 
opposite  direction,  and  looking  up,  he  saw 
Ouster's  force  upon  the  top  of  the  bluff 
directly  across  the  river.  As  quick  as  a 
flash,  he  took  in  the  situation  —  the  enemy 
had  planned  to  attack  the  camp  at  both 


100  INDIAN  HEROES 

ends  at  once;  and  knowing  that  Custer 
could  not  ford  the  river  at  that  point,  he 
instantly  led  his  men  northward  to  the 
ford  to  cut  him  off.  The  Cheyennes  fol 
lowed  closely.  Custer  must  have  seen 
that  wonderful  dash  up  the  sage-bush 
plain,  and  one  wonders  whether  he  real 
ized  its  meaning.  In  a  very  few  minutes, 
this  wild  general  of  the  plains  had  out 
witted  one  of  the  most  brilliant  leaders  of 
the  Civil  War  and  ended  at  once  his  mili 
tary  career  and  his  life. 

In  this  dashing  charge,  Crazy  Horse 
snatched  his  most  famous  victory  out  of 
what  seemed  frightful  peril,  for  the  Sioux 
could  not  know  how  many  were  behind 
Custer.  He  was  caught  in  his  own  trap. 
To  the  soldiers  it  must  have  seemed  as  if 
the  Indians  rose  up  from  the  earth  to  over 
whelm  them.  They  closed  in  from  three 
sides  and  fought  until  not  a  white  man 
was  left  alive.  Then  they  went  down  to 
Reno's  stand  and  found  him  so  well  in 
trenched  in  a  deep  gully  that  it  was  im- 


CRAZY  HORSE  101 

possible  to  dislodge  him.  Gall  and  his 
men  held  him  there  until  the  approach  of 
General  Terry  compelled  the  Sioux  to 
break  camp  and  scatter  in  different  direc 
tions. 

While  Sitting  Bull  was  pursued  into 
Canada,  Crazy  Horse  and  the  Cheyennes 
wandered  about,  comparatively  undis 
turbed,  during  the  rest  of  that  year,  until 
in  the  winter  the  army  surprised  the 
Cheyennes,  but  did  not  do  them  much 
harm,  possibly  because  they  knew  that 
Crazy  Horse  was  not  far  off.  His  name  was 
held  in  wholesome  respect.  From  time  to 
time,  delegations  of  friendly  Indians  were 
sent  to  him,  to  urge  him  to  come  in  to  the 
reservation,  promising  a  full  hearing  and 
fair  treatment. 

For  some  time  he  held  out,  but  the  rapid 
disappearance  of  the  buffalo,  their  only 
means  of  support,  probably  weighed  with 
him  more  than  any  other  influence.  In 
July,  1877,  he  was  finally  prevailed  upon 
to  come  in  to  Fort  Robinson,  Nebraska, 


102  INDIAN  HEROES 

with  several  thousand  Indians,  most  of 
them  Ogallala  and  Minneconwoju  Sioux, 
on  the  distinct  understanding  that  the 
government  would  hear  and  adjust  their 
grievances. 

At  this  juncture  General  Crook  pro 
claimed  Spotted  Tail,  who  had  rendered 
much  valuable  service  to  the  army,  head 
chief  of  the  Sioux,  which  was  resented  by 
many.  The  attention  paid  Crazy  Horse 
was  offensive  to  Spotted  Tail  and  the 
Indian  scouts,  who  planned  a  conspiracy 
against  him.  They  reported  to  General 
Crook  that  the  young  chief  would  murder 
him  at  the  next  council,  and  stampede  the 
Sioux  into  another  war.  He  was  urged 
not  to  attend  the  council  and  did  not,  but 
sent  another  officer  to  represent  him. 
Meanwhile  the  friends  of  Crazy  Horse  dis 
covered  the  plot  and  told  him  of  it.  His 
reply  was,  "Only  cowards  are  murderers." 

His  wife  was  critically  ill  at  the  time, 
and  he  decided  to  take  her  to  her  parents 
at  Spotted  Tail  agency,  whereupon  his 


CRAZY  HORSE  103 

enemies  circulated  the  story  that  he  had 
fled,  and  a  party  of  scouts  was  sent  after 
him.  They  overtook  him  riding  with  his 
wife  and  one  other  but  did  not  undertake 
to  arrest  him,  and  after  he  had  left  the 
sick  woman  with  her  people  he  went  to 
call  on  Captain  Lea,  the  agent  for  the 
Brules,  accompanied  by  all  the  warriors  of 
the  Minneconwoju  band.  This  volunteer 
escort  made  an  imposing  appearance  on 
horseback,  shouting  and  singing,  and  in 
the  words  of  Captain  Lea  himself  and  the 
missionary,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Cleveland, 
the  situation  was  extremely  critical.  In 
deed,  the  scouts  who  had  followed  Crazy 
Horse  from  Red  Cloud  agency  were  ad 
vised  not  to  show  themselves,  as  some  of 
the  warriors  had  urged  that  they  be  taken 
out  and  horsewhipped  publicly. 

Under  these  circumstances  Crazy  Horse 
again  showed  his  masterful  spirit  by  hold 
ing  these  young  men  in  check.  He  said 
to  them  in  his  quiet  way:  "It  is  well  to 
be  brave  in  the  field  of  battle;  it  is  cow- 


104  INDIAN  HEROES 

ardly  to  display  bravery  against  one's  own 
tribesmen.  These  scouts  have  been  com 
pelled  to  do  what  they  did ;  they  are  no 
better  than  servants  of  the  white  officers. 
I  came  here  on  a  peaceful  errand." 

The  captain  urged  him  to  report  at 
army  headquarters  to  explain  himself  and 
correct  false  rumors,  and  on  his  giving 
consent,  furnished  him  with  a  wagon  and 
escort.  It  has  been  said  that  he  went  back 
under  arrest,  but  this  is  untrue.  Indians 
have  boasted  that  they  had  a  hand  in 
bringing  him  in,  but  their  stories  are  with 
out  foundation.  He  went  of  his  own  ac 
cord,  either  suspecting  no  treachery  or 
determined  to  defy  it. 

When  he  reached  the  military  camp, 
Little  Big  Man  walked  arm-in-arm  with 
him,  and  his  cousin  and  friend,  Touch- 
the-Cloud,  was  just  in  advance.  After 
they  passed  the  sentinel,  an  officer  ap 
proached  them  and  walked  on  his  other 
side.  He  was  unarmed  but  for  the  knife 
which  is  carried  for  ordinary  uses  by 


CRAZY  HORSE  105 

women  as  well  as  men.  Unsuspectingly 
he  walked  toward  the  guardhouse,  when 
Touch-the-Cloud  suddenly  turned  back  ex 
claiming :  "Cousin,  they  will  put  you  in 
prison !" 

"Another  white  man's  trick!  Let  me 
go!  Let  me  die  fighting!"  cried  Crazy 
Horse.  He  stopped  and  tried  to  free  him 
self  and  draw  his  knife,  but  both  arms  were 
held  fast  by  Little  Big  Man  and  the  officer. 
While  he  struggled  thus,  a  soldier  thrust 
him  through  with  his  bayonet  from  behind. 
The  wound  was  mortal,  and  he  died  in  the 
course  of  that  night,  his  old  father  singing 
the  death  song  over  him  and  afterward 
carrying  away  the  body,  which  they  said 
must  not  be  further  polluted  by  the  touch 
of  a  white  man.  They  hid  it  somewhere 
in  the  Bad  Lands,  his  resting  place  to  this 
day. 

Thus  died  one  of  the  ablest  and  truest 
American  Indians.  His  life  was  ideal ; 
his  record  clean.  He  was  never  involved 
in  any  of  the  numerous  massacres  on  the 


106  INDIAN  HEROES 

trail,  but  was  a  leader  in  practically  every 
open  fight.  Such  characters  as  those  of 
Crazy  Horse  and  Chief  Joseph  are  not 
easily  found  among  so-called  civilized 
people.  The  reputation  of  great  men  is 
apt  to  be  shadowed  by  questionable  mo 
tives  and  policies,  but  here  are  two  pure 
patriots,  as  worthy  of  honor  as  any  who 
ever  breathed  God's  air  in  the  wide  spaces 
of  a  new  world. 


SITTING  BULL 

IT  is  not  easy  to  characterize  Sitting 
Bull,  of  all  Sioux  chiefs  most  gen 
erally  known  to  the  American  people. 
There  are  few  to  whom  his  name  is  not 
familiar,  and  still  fewer  who  have  learned 
to  connect  it  with  anything  more  than 
the  conventional  notion  of  a  bloodthirsty 
savage.  The  man  was  an  enigma  at  best. 
He  was  not  impulsive,  nor  was  he 
phlegmatic.  He  was  most  serious  when 
he  seemed  to  be  jocose.  He  was  gifted 
with  the  power  of  sarcasm,  and  few  have 
used  it  more  artfully  than  he. 

His  father  was  one  of  the  best-known 
members  of  the  Unkpapa  band  of  Sioux. 
The  manner  of  this  man's  death  was 
characteristic.  One  day,  when  the  Unk- 
papas  were  attacked  by  a  large  war  party 
of  Crows,  he  fell  upon  the  enemy's  war 

107 


108  INDIAN  HEROES 

leader  with  his  knife.  In  a  hand-to-hand 
combat  of  this  sort,  we  count  the  victor 
as  entitled  to  a  war  bonnet  of  trailing 
plumes.  It  means  certain  death  to  one  or 
both.  In  this  case,  both  men  dealt  a 
mortal  stroke,  and  Jumping  Buffalo,  the 
father  of  Sitting  Bull,  fell  from  his  saddle 
and  died  in  a  few  minutes.  The  other 
died  later  from  the  effects  of  the  wound. 

Sitting  Bull's  boyhood  must  have  been 
a  happy  one.  It  was  long  after  the  day  of 
the  dog-travaux,  and  his  father  owned 
many  ponies  of  variegated  colors.  It  was 
said  of  him  in  a  joking  way  that  his  legs 
were  bowed  like  the  ribs  of  the  ponies 
that  he  rode  constantly  from  childhood- 
He  had  also  a  common  nickname  that  was 
much  to  the  point.  It  was  "Hunkeshnee", 
which  means  "Slow",  referring  to  his  in 
ability  to  run  fast,  or  more  probably  to 
the  fact  that  he  seldom  appeared  on  foot. 
In  their  boyish  games  he  was  wont  to  take 
the  part  of  the  "old  man",  but  this  does  not 
mean  that  he  was  not  active  and  brave. 


SITTING  BULL  109 

It  is  told  that  after  a  buffalo  hunt  the 
boys  were  enjoying  a  mimic  hunt  with  the 
calves  that  had  been  left  behind.  A  large 
calf  turned  viciously  on  Sitting  Bull,  whose 
pony  had  thrown  him,  but  the  alert  youth 
got  hold  of  both  ears  and  struggled  until 
the  calf  was  pushed  back  into  a  buffalo 
wallow  in  a  sitting  posture.  The  boys 
shouted:  "He  has  subdued  the  buffalo 
calf!  He  made  it  sit  down!"  And  from 
this  incident  was  derived  his  familiar  name 
of  Sitting  Bull. 

It  is  a  mistake  to  suppose  that  Sitting 
Bull,  or  any  other  Indian  warrior,  was  of 
a  murderous  disposition.  It  is  true  that 
savage  warfare  had  grown  more  and  more 
harsh  and  cruel  since  the  coming  of  white 
traders  among  them,  bringing  guns,  knives, 
and  whisky.  Yet  it  was  still  regarded 
largely  as  a  sort  of  game,  undertaken  in 
order  to  develop  the  manly  qualities  of 
their  youth.  It  was  the  degree  of  risk 
which  brought  honor,  rather  than  the 
number  slain,  and  a  brave  must  mourn 


110  INDIAN  HEROES 

thirty  days,  with  blackened  face  and 
loosened  hair,  for  the  enemy  whose  life 
he  had  taken.  While  the  spoils  of  war 
were  allowed,  this  did  not  extend  to  ter 
ritorial  aggrandizement,  nor  was  there  any 
wish  to  overthrow  another  nation  and  en 
slave  its  people.  It  was  a  point  of  honor 
in  the  old  days  to  treat  a  captive  with 
kindness.  The  common  impression  that 
the  Indian  is  naturally  cruel  and  revenge 
ful  is  entirely  opposed  to  his  philosophy 
and  training.  The  revengeful  tendency  of 
the  Indian  was  aroused  by  the  white  man. 
It  is  not  the  natural  Indian  who  is  mean 
and  tricky ;  not  Massasoit  but  King  Philip ; 
not  Attackullakulla  but  Weatherford;  not 
Wabashaw  but  Little  Crow ;  not  Jump 
ing  Buffalo  but  Sitting  Bull !  These  men 
lifted  their  hands  against  the  white  man, 
while  their  fathers  held  theirs  out  to  him 
with  gifts. 

Remember  that  there  were  councils 
which  gave  their  decisions  in  accordance 
with  the  highest  ideal  of  human  justice 


SITTING  BULL  111 

before  there  were  any  cities  on  this  con 
tinent;  before  there  were  bridges  to  span 
the  Mississippi;  before  this  network  of 
railroads  was  dreamed  of !  There  were 
primitive  communities  upon  the  very  spot 
where  Chicago  or  New  York  City  now 
stands,  where  men  were  as  children,  inno 
cent  of  all  the  crimes  now  committed  there 
daily  and  nightly.  True  morality  is  more 
easily  maintained  in  connection  with  the 
simple  life.  You  must  accept  the  truth 
that  you  demoralize  any  race  whom  you 
have  subjugated. 

From  this  point  of  view  we  shall  con 
sider  Sitting  Bull's  career.  We  say  he  is 
an  untutored  man:  that  is  true  so  far  as 
learning  of  a  literary  type  is  concerned; 
but  he  was  not  an  untutored  man  when 
you  view  him  from  the  standpoint  of  his 
nation.  To  be  sure,  he  did  not  learn  his 
lessons  from  books.  This  is  second-hand 
information  at  best.  All  that  he  learned 
he  verified  for  himself  and  put  into  daily 
practice.  In  personal  appearance  he  was 


112  INDIAN  HEROES 

rather  commonplace  and  made  no  im 
mediate  impression,  but  as  he  talked  he 
seemed  to  take  hold  of  his  hearers  more 
and  more.  He  was  bull-headed ;  quick  to 
grasp  a  situation,  and  not  readily  induced 
to  change  his  mind.  He  was  not  suspicious 
until  he  was  forced  to  be  so.  All  his 
meaner  traits  were  inevitably  developed 
by  the  events  of  his  later  career. 

Sitting  Bull's  history  has  been  written 
many  times  by  newspaper  men  and  army 
officers,  but  I  find  no  account  of  him  which 
is  entirely  correct.  I  met  him  personally 
in  1884,  and  since  his  death  I  have  gone 
thoroughly  into  the  details  of  his  life  with 
his  relatives  and  contemporaries.  It  has 
often  been  said  that  he  was  a  physical 
coward  and  not  a  warrior.  Judge  of  this 
for  yourselves  from  the  deed  which  first 
gave  him  fame  in  his  own  tribe,  when  he 
was  about  twenty-eight  years  old. 

In  an  attack  upon  a  band  of  Crow  In 
dians,  one  of  the  enemy  took  his  stand, 
after  the  rest  had  fled,  in  a  deep  ditch  from 


SITTING  BULL  113 

which  it  seemed  impossible  to  dislodge  him. 
The  situation  had  already  cost  the  lives  of 
several  warriors,  but  they  could  not  let  him 
go  to  repeat  such  a  boast  over  the  Sioux ! 

"Follow  me!"  said  Sitting  Bull,  and 
charged.  He  raced  his  horse  to  the  brim 
of  the  ditch  and  struck  at  the  enemy  with 
his  coup-staff,  thus  compelling  him  to 
expose  himself  to  the  fire  of  the  others 
while  shooting  his  assailant.  But  the  Crow 
merely  poked  his  empty  gun  into  his  face 
and  dodged  back  under  cover.  Then  Sit 
ting  Bull  stopped ;  he  saw  that  no  one 
had  followed  him,  and  he  also  perceived 
that  the  enemy  had  no  more  ammunition 
left.  He  rode  deliberately  up  to  the  bar 
rier  and  threw  his  loaded  gun  over  it; 
then  he  went  back  to  his  party  and  told 
them  what  he  thought  of  them. 

"Now,"  said  he,  "I  have  armed  him, 
for  I  will  not  see  a  brave  man  killed  un 
armed.  I  will  strike  him  again  with  my 
coup-staff  to  count  the  first  feather ;  who 
will  count  the  second?" 


114  INDIAN  HEROES 

Again  he  led  the  charge,  and  this  time 
they  all  followed  him.  Sitting  Bull  was 
severely  wounded  by  his  own  gun  in  the 
hands  of  the  enemy,  who  was  killed  by  those 
that  came  after  him.  This  is  a  record  that 
so  far  as  I  know  was  never  made  by  any 
other  warrior. 

The  second  incident  that  made  him  well 
known  was  his  taking  of  a  boy  captive  in 
battle  with  the  Assiniboines.  He  saved 
this  boy's  life  and  adopted  him  as  his 
brother.  Hohay,  as  he  was  called,  was  de 
voted  to  Sitting  Bull  and  helped  much  in 
later  years  to  spread  his  fame.  Sitting 
Bull  was  a  born  diplomat,  a  ready  speaker, 
and  in  middle  life  he  ceased  to  go  upon  the 
warpath,  to  become  the  councilor  of  his 
people.  From  this  time  on,  this  man 
represented  him  in  all  important  battles, 
and  upon  every  brave  deed  done  was  wont 
to  exclaim  aloud : 

"I,  Sitting  Bull's  boy,  do  this  in  his 
name !" 

He  had  a  nephew,  now  living,  who  re- 


SITTING  BULL  115 

sembles  him  strongly,  and  who  also  rep 
resented  him  personally  upon  the  field ; 
and  so  far  as  there  is  any  remnant  left  of 
his  immediate  band,  they  look  upon  this 
man  One  Bull  as  their  chief. 

When  Sitting  Bull  was  a  boy,  there  was 
no  thought  of  trouble  with  the  whites. 
He  was  acquainted  with  many  of  the  early 
traders,  Picotte,  Choteau,  Primeau,  Lar- 
penteur,  and  others,  and  liked  them,  as 
did  most  of  his  people  in  those  days.  All 
the  early  records  show  this  friendly  atti 
tude  of  the  Sioux,  and  the  great  fur 
companies  for  a  century  and  a  half  de 
pended  upon  them  for  the  bulk  of  their 
trade.  It  was  not  until  the  middle  of  the 
last  century  that  they  woke  up  all  of  a 
sudden  to  the  danger  threatening  their 
very  existence.  Yet  at  that  time  many  of 
the  old  chiefs  had  been  already  depraved 
by  the  whisky  and  other  vices  of  the  whites, 
and  in  the  vicinity  of  the  forts  and  trading 
posts  at  Sioux  City,  Saint  Paul,  and 
Cheyenne,  there  was  general  demorali- 


116  INDIAN  HEROES 

zation.  The  drunkards  and  hangers-on 
were  ready  to  sell  almost  anything  they 
had  for  the  favor  of  the  trader.  The 
better  and  stronger  element  held  aloof. 
They  would  not  have  anything  of  the  white 
man  except  his  hatchet,  gun,  and  knife. 
They  utterly  refused  to  cede  their  lands; 
and  as  for  the  rest,  they  were  willing  to 
let  him  alone  as  long  as  he  did  not  inter 
fere  with  their  life  and  customs,  which  was 
not  long. 

It  was  not,  however,  the  Unkpapa  band 
of  Sioux,  Sitting  Bull's  band,  which  first 
took  up  arms  against  the  whites;  and 
this  was  not  because  they  had  come  less 
in  contact  with  them,  for  they  dwelt  on 
the  Missouri  River,  the  natural  highway 
of  trade.  As  early  as  1854,  the  Ogallalas 
and  Brules  had  trouble  with  the  soldiers 
near  Fort  Laramie;  and  again  in  1857 
Inkpaduta  massacred  several  families  of 
settlers  at  Spirit  Lake,  Iowa.  Finally,  in 
1862,  the  Minnesota  Sioux,  goaded  by 
many  wrongs,  arose  and  murdered  many  of 


SITTING  BULL  117 

the  settlers,  afterward  fleeing  into  the  coun 
try  of  the  Unkpapas  and  appealing  to  them 
for  help,  urging  that  all  Indians  should 
make  common  cause  against  the  invader. 
This  brought  Sitting  Bull  face  to  face  with 
a  question  which  was  not  yet  fully  matured 
in  his  own  mind ;  but  having  satisfied  him 
self  of  the  justice  of  their  cause,  he  joined 
forces  with  the  renegades  during  the  sum 
mer  of  1863,  and  from  this  time  on  he  was 
an  acknowledged  leader. 

In  1865  and  1866  he  met  the  Canadian 
half-breed,  Louis  Riel,  instigator  of  two  re 
bellions,  who  had  come  across  the  line  for 
safety ;  and  in  fact  at  this  time  he  har 
bored  a  number  of  outlaws  and  fugi 
tives  from  justice.  His  conversations  with 
these,  especially  with  the  French  mixed- 
bloods,  who  inflamed  his  prejudices  against 
the  Americans,  all  had  their  influence  in 
making  of  the  wily  Sioux  a  determined 
enemy  to  the  white  man.  While  among 
his  own  people  he  was  always  affable  and 
genial,  he  became  boastful  and  domineer- 


118  INDIAN  HEROES 

ing  in  his  dealings  with  the  hated  race. 
He  once  remarked  that  "if  we  wish  to 
make  any  impression  upon  the  pale-face, 
it  is  necessary  to  put  on  his  mask." 

Sitting  Bull  joined  in  the  attack  on 
Fort  Phil  Kearny  and  in  the  subsequent 
hostilities ;  but  he  accepted  in  good  faith 
the  treaty  of  1868,  and  soon  after  it  was 
signed  he  visited  Washington  with  Red 
Cloud  and  Spotted  Tail,  on  which  occasion 
the  three  distinguished  chiefs  attracted 
much  attention  and  were  entertained  at 
dinner  by  President  Grant  and  other  no 
tables.  He  considered  that  the  life  of  the 
white  man  as  he  saw  it  was  no  life  for  his 
people,  but  hoped  by  close  adherence  to 
the  terms  of  this  treaty  to  preserve  the  Big 
Horn  and  Black  Hills  country  for  a  per 
manent  hunting  ground.  When  gold  was 
discovered  and  the  irrepressible  gold 
seekers  made  their  historic  dash  across 
the  plains  into  this  forbidden  paradise, 
then  his  faith  in  the  white  man's  honor 
was  gone  forever,  and  he  took  his  final 


SITTING  BULL  119 

and  most  persistent  stand  in  defense  of 
his  nation  and  home.  His  bitter  and  at 
the  same  time  well-grounded  and  philo 
sophical  dislike  of  the  conquering  race  is 
well  expressed  in  a  speech  made  before 
the  purely  Indian  council  before  referred 
to,  upon  the  Powder  River.  I  will  give 
it  in  brief  as  it  has  been  several  times 
repeated  to  me  by  men  who  were  present. 

"Behold,  my  friends,  the  spring  is  come; 
the  earth  has  gladly  received  the  embraces 
of  the  sun,  and  we  shall  soon  see  the  results 
of  their  love !  Every  seed  is  awakened, 
and  all  animal  life.  It  is  through  this 
mysterious  power  that  we  too  have  our 
being,  and  we  therefore  yield  to  our  neigh 
bors,  even  to  our  animal  neighbors,  the 
same  right  as  ourselves  to  inhabit  this  vast 
land. 

"Yet  hear  me,  friends !  we  have  now  to 
deal  with  another  people,  small  and  feeble 
when  our  forefathers  first  met  with  them, 
but  now  great  and  overbearing.  Strangely 
enough,  they  have  a  mind  to  till  the  soil, 


120  INDIAN  HEROES 

and  the  love  of  possessions  is  a  disease  in 
them.  These  people  have  made  many 
rules  that  the  rich  may  break,  but  the  poor 
may  not!  They  have  a  religion  in  which 
the  poor  worship,  but  the  rich  will  not ! 
They  even  take  tithes  of  the  poor  and 
weak  to  support  the  rich  and  those  who 
rule.  They  claim  this  mother  of  ours, 
the  Earth,  for  their  own  use,  and  fence 
their  neighbors  away  from  her,  and  de 
face  her  with  their  buildings  and  their 
refuse.  They  compel  her  to  produce  out 
of  season,  and  when  sterile  she  is  made  to 
take  medicine  in  order  to  produce  again. 
All  this  is  sacrilege. 

"This  nation  is  like  a  spring  freshet; 
it  overruns  its  banks  and  destroys  all 
who  are  in  its  path.  We  cannot  dwell 
side  by  side.  Only  seven  years  ago  we 
made  a  treaty  by  which  we  were  assured 
that  the  buffalo  country  should  be  left  to 
us  forever.  Now  they  threaten  to  take 
that  from  us  also.  My  brothers,  shall  we 
submit  ?  or  shall  we  say  to  them :  *  First 


SITTING  BULL 

kill  me,  before  you  can  take  possession  of 
my  fatherland  ! ' : 

As  Sitting  Bull  spoke,  so  he  felt,  and  he 
had  the  courage  to  stand  by  his  words. 
Crazy  Horse  led  his  forces  in  the  field ;  as 
for  him,  he  applied  his  energies  to  state 
affairs,  and  by  his  strong  and  aggressive 
personality  contributed  much  to  holding 
the  hostiles  together. 

It  may  be  said  without  fear  of  contradic 
tion  that  Sitting  Bull  never  killed  any  women 
or  children.  He  was  a  fair  fighter,  and 
while  not  prominent  in  battle  after  his  young 
manhood,  he  was  the  brains  of  the  Sioux  re 
sistance.  He  has  been  called  a  "medicine 
man"  and  a  "dreamer."  Strictly  speaking, 
he  was  neither  of  these,  and  the  white  his 
torians  are  prone  to  confuse  the  two.  A 
medicine  man  is  a  doctor  or  healer;  a 
dreamer  is  an  active  war  prophet  who  leads 
his  war  party  according  to  his  dream  or 
prophecy.  What  is  called  by  whites  "mak 
ing  medicine"  in  war  time  is  again  a  wrong 
conception.  Every  warrior  carries  a  bag  of 


122  INDIAN  HEROES 

sacred  or  lucky  charms,  supposed  to  pro 
tect  the  wearer  alone,  but  it  has  nothing  to 
do  with  the  success  or  safety  of  the  party 
as  a  whole.  No  one  can  make  any  "medi 
cine"  to  affect  the  result  of  a  battle,  al 
though  it  has  been  said  that  Sitting  Bull 
did  this  at  the  battle  of  the  Little  Big 
Horn. 

When  Custer  and  Reno  attacked  the 
camp  at  both  ends,  the  chief  was  caught 
napping.  The  village  was  in  danger  of 
surprise,  and  the  women  and  children 
must  be  placed  in  safety.  Like  other  men 
of  his  age,  Sitting  Bull  got  his  family  to 
gether  for  flight,  and  then  joined  the 
warriors  on  the  Reno  side  of  the  attack. 
Thus  he  was  not  in  the  famous  charge 
against  Custer;  nevertheless,  his  voice 
was  heard  exhorting  the  warriors  through 
out  that  day. 

During  the  autumn  of  1876,  after  the 
fall  of  Custer,  Sitting  Bull  was  hunted  all 
through  the  Yellowstone  region  by  the 
military.  The  following  characteristic  let- 


SITTING  BULL  123 

ter,  doubtless  written  at  his  dictation  by 
a  half-breed  interpreter,  was  sent  to  Colonel 
Otis  immediately  after  a  daring  attack 
upon  his  wagon  train. 

"I  want  to  know  what  you  are  doing, 
traveling  on  this  road.  You  scare  all  the 
buffalo  away.  I  want  to  hunt  in  this 
place.  I  want  you  to  turn  back  from  here. 
If  you  don't,  I  will  fight  you  again.  I  want 
you  to  leave  what  you  have  got  here  and 
turn  back  from  here. 

I  am  your  friend 

Sitting  Bull. 

I  mean  all  the  rations  you  have  got  and 
some  powder.  Wish  you  would  write  me 
as  soon  as  you  can." 

Otis,  however,  kept  on  and  joined 
Colonel  Miles,  who  followed  Sitting  Bull 
with  about  four  hundred  soldiers.  He 
overtook  him  at  last  on  Cedar  Creek,  near 
the  Yellowstone,  and  the  two  met  mid 
way  between  the  lines  for  a  parley.  The 
army  report  says:  "Sitting  Bull  wanted 


124  INDIAN  HEROES 

peace  in  his  own  way."  The  truth  was 
that  he  wanted  nothing  more  than  had 
been  guaranteed  to  them  by  the  treaty  of 
1868  —  the  exclusive  possession  of  their 
last  hunting  ground.  This  the  govern 
ment  was  not  now  prepared  to  grant,  as 
it  had  been  decided  to  place  all  the  In 
dians  under  military  control  upon  the 
various  reservations. 

Since  it  was  impossible  to  reconcile  two 
such  conflicting  demands,  the  hostiles  were 
driven  about  from  pillar  to  post  for  several 
more  years,  and  finally  took  refuge  across 
the  line  in  Canada,  where  Sitting  Bull 
had  placed  his  last  hope  of  justice  and 
freedom  for  his  race.  Here  he  was  joined 
from  time  to  time  by  parties  of  malcon 
tents  from  the  reservation,  driven  largely 
by  starvation  and  ill-treatment  to  seek 
another  home.  Here,  too,  they  were  fol 
lowed  by  United  States  commissioners, 
headed  by  General  Terry,  who  endeavored 
to  persuade  him  to  return,  promising  abun 
dance  of  food  and  fair  treatment,  despite 


SITTING  BULL  125 

the  fact  that  the  exiles  were  well  aware 
of  the  miserable  condition  of  the  "good 
Indians"  upon  the  reservations.  He  first 
refused  to  meet  them  at  all,  and  only  did 
so  when  advised  to  that  effect  by  Major 
Walsh  of  the  Canadian  mounted  police. 
This  was  his  characteristic  remark:  "If 
you  have  one  honest  man  in  Washington, 
send  him  here  and  I  will  talk  to  him." 

Sitting  Bull  was  not  moved  by  fair  • 
words;  but  when  he  found  that  if  they 
had  liberty  on  that  side,  they  had  little 
else,  that  the  Canadian  government  would 
give  them  protection  but  no  food;  that 
the  buffalo  had  been  all  but  exterminated 
and  his  starving  people  were  already  be 
ginning  to  desert  him,  he  was  compelled 
at  last,  in  1881,  to  report  at  Fort  Buford, 
North  Dakota,  with  his  band  of  hungry, 
homeless,  and  discouraged  refugees.  It  j 
was,  after  all,  to  hunger  and  not  to  the 
strong  arm  of  the  military  that  he  sur 
rendered  in  the  end. 

In  spite  of  the  invitation  that  had  been 


126  INDIAN  HEROES 

extended  to  him  in  the  name  of  the  "Great 
Father"  at  Washington,  he  was  immedi 
ately  thrown  into  a  military  prison,  and 
afterward  handed  over  to  Colonel  Cody 
("Buffalo  Bill")  as  an  advertisement  for 
his  "Wild  West  Show."  After  traveling 
about  for  several  years  with  the  famous 
showman,  thus  increasing  his  knowledge 
of  the  weaknesses  as  well  as  the  strength 
of  the  white  man,  the  deposed  and  hu 
miliated  chief  settled  down  quietly  with  his 
people  upon  the  Standing  Rock  agency  in 
North  Dakota,  where  his  immediate  band 
occupied  the  Grand  River  district  and  set 
to  raising  cattle  and  horses.  They  made 
good  progress ;  much  better,  in  fact,  than 
that  of  the  "coffee-coolers"  or  "loafer" 
Indians,  received  the  missionaries  kindly 
and  were  soon  a  church-going  people. 
|  When  the  Commissions  of  1888  and  1889 
came  to  treat  with  the  Sioux  for  a  further 
cession  of  land  and  a  reduction  of  their 
reservations,  nearly  all  were  opposed  to 
consent  on  any  terms.  Nevertheless,  by 


SITTING  BULL  127 

hook  or  by  crook,  enough  signatures  were 
finally  obtained  to  carry  the  measure 
through,  although  it  is  said  that  many  were 
those  of  women  and  the  so-called  "squaw- 
men  ",  who  had  no  rights  in  the  land.  At 
the  same  time,  rations  were  cut  down,  and 
there  was  general  hardship  and  dissatis 
faction.  Crazy  Horse  was  long  since  dead ; 
Spotted  Tail  had  fallen  at  the  hands  of 
one  of  his  own  tribe;  Red  Cloud  had  be 
come  a  feeble  old  man,  and  the  disaffected 
among  the  Sioux  began  once  more  to  look 
to  Sitting  Bull  for  leadership. 

At  this  crisis  a  strange  thing  happened. 
A  half-breed  Indian  in  Nevada  promul 
gated  the  news  that  the  Messiah  had  ap 
peared  to  him  upon  a  peak  in  the  Rockies, 
dressed  in  rabbit  skins,  and  bringing  a 
message  to  the  red  race.  The  message 
was  to  the  effect  that  since  his  first  coming 
had  been  in  vain,  since  the  white  people 
had  doubted  and  reviled  him,  had  nailed 
him  to  the  cross,  and  trampled  upon  his 
doctrines,  he  had  come  again  in  pity  to 


128  INDIAN  HEROES 

save  the  Indian.  He  declared  that  he 
would  cause  the  earth  to  shake  and  to  over 
throw  the  cities  of  the  whites  and  destroy 
them,  that  the  buffalo  would  return,  and 
the  land  belong  to  the  red  race  forever ! 
These  events  were  to  come  to  pass  within 
two  years;  arid  meanwhile  they  were  to 
prepare  for  his  coming  by  the  ceremonies 
and  dances  which  he  commanded. 

This  curious  story  spread  like  wildfire 
and  met  with  eager  acceptance  among  the 
suffering  and  discontented  people.  The 
teachings  of  Christian  missionaries  had  pre 
pared  them  to  believe  in  a  Messiah,  and 
the  prescribed  ceremonial  was  much  more 
in  accord  with  their  traditions  than  the 
conventional  worship  of  the  churches. 
Chiefs  of  many  tribes  sent  delegations  to 
the  Indian  prophet;  Short  Bull,  Kicking 
Bear,  and  others  went  from  among  the 
Sioux,  and  on  their  return  all  inaugurated 
the  dances  at  once.  There  was  an  attempt 
at  first  to  keep  the  matter  secret,  but  it 
soon  became  generally  known  and  seriously 


SITTING  BULL  129 

\   « 
disconcerted  the  Indian  agents  and  others, 

who  were  quick  to  suspect  a  hostile  con 
spiracy  under  all  this  religious  enthusiasm. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  there  was  no  thought 
of  an  uprising;  the  dancing  was  innocent 
enough,  and  pathetic  enough  their  despair 
ing  hope  in  a  pitiful  Saviour  who  should 
overwhelm  their  oppressors  and  bring  back 
their  golden  age. 

When  the  Indians  refused  to  give  up  the 
"Ghost  Dance"  at  the  bidding  of  the  au 
thorities,  the  growing  suspicion  and  alarm 
focused  upon  Sitting  Bull,  who  in  spirit 
had  never  been  any  too  submissive,  and 
it  was  determined  to  order  his  arrest.  At 
the  special  request  of  Major  McLaughlin, 
agent  at  Standing  Rock,  forty  of  his  In 
dian  police  were  sent  out  to  Sitting  Bull's 
home  on  Grand  River  to  secure  his  person 
(followed  at  some  little  distance  by  a  body 
of  United  States  troops  for  reinforcement, 
in  case  of  trouble).  These  police  are  en 
listed  from  among  the  tribesmen  at  each 
agency,  and  have  proved  uniformly  brave 


130  INDIAN  HEROES 

and  faithful.  They  entered  the  cabin  at 
daybreak,  aroused  the  chief  from  a  sound 
slumber,  helped  him  to  dress,  and  led  him 
unresisting  from  the  house;  but  when  he 
came  out  in  the  gray  dawn  of  that  De 
cember  morning  in  1890,  to  find  his  cabin 
surrounded  by  armed  men  and  himself 
led  away  to  he  knew  not  what  fate,  he 
cried  out  loudly : 

"They  have  taken  me :  what  say  you  to 
it?" 

Men  poured  out  of  the  neighboring 
houses,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  police 
were  themselves  surrounded  with  an  ex 
cited  and  rapidly  increasing  throng.  They 
harangued  the  crowd  in  vain ;  Sitting  Bull's 
blood  was  up,  and  he  again  appealed  to 
his  men.  His  adopted  brother,  the  Assini- 
boine  captive  whose  life  he  had  saved  so 
many  years  before,  was  the  first  to  fire. 
His  shot  killed  Lieutenant  Bull  Head,  who 
held  Sitting  Bull  by  the  arm.  Then  there 
was  a  short  but  sharp  conflict,  in  which 
Sitting  Bull  and  six  of  his  defenders  and 


SITTING  BULL  131 

six  of  the  Indian  police  were  slain,  with 
many  more  wounded.  The  chief's  young 
son,  Crow  Foot,  and  his  devoted  "brother" 
died  with  him.  When  all  was  over,  and  the 
terrified  people  had  fled  precipitately  across 
the  river,  the  soldiers  appeared  upon  the 
brow  of  the  long  hill  and  fired  their  Hotch- 
kiss  guns  into  the  deserted  camp. 

Thus  ended  the  life  of  a  natural  strate 
gist  of  no  mean  courage  and  ability.  The 
great  chief  was  buried  without  honors 
outside  the  cemetery  at  the  post,  and  for 
some  years  the  grave  was  marked  by  a 
mere  board  at  its  head.  Recently  some 
women  have  built  a  cairn  of  rocks  there 
in  token  of  respect  and  remembrance. 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE 

THE  noted  Sioux  warrior,  Rain-in- 
the-Face,  whose  name  once  carried 
terror  to  every  part  of  the  frontier, 
died  at  his  home  on  the  Standing  Rock  re 
serve  in  North  Dakota  on  September  14, 
1905.  About  two  months  before  his  death 
I  went  to  see  him  for  the  last  time,  where 
he  lay  upon  the  bed  of  sickness  from  which 
he  never  rose  again,  and  drew  from  him  his 
life-history. 

It  had  been  my  experience  that  you  can 
not  induce  an  Indian  to  tell  a  story,  or  even 
his  own  name,  by  asking  him  directly. 

"Friend,"  I  said,  "even  if  a  man  is  on  a 
hot  trail,  he  stops  for  a  smoke  !  In  the  good 
old  days,  before  the  charge  there  was  a 
smoke.  At  home,  by  the  fireside,  when  the 
old  men  were  asked  to  tell  their  brave  deeds, 
again  the  pipe  was  passed.  So  come,  let  us 
smoke  now  to  the  memory  of  the  old  days ! " 

132 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  133 

He  took  of  my  tobacco  and  filled  his  long 
pipe,  and  we  smoked.  Then  I  told  an  old 
mirthful  story  to  get  him  in  the  humor  of 
relating  his  own  history. 

The  old  man  lay  upon  an  iron  bedstead, 
covered  by  a  red  blanket,  in  a  corner  of  the 
little  log  cabin.  He  was  all  alone  that  day ; 
only  an  old  dog  lay  silent  and  watchful  at 
his  master's  feet. 

Finally  he  looked  up  and  said  with  a 
pleasant  smile : 

"True,  friend;  it  is  the  old  custom  to 
retrace  one's  trail  before  leaving  it  forever ! 
I  know  that  I  am  at  the  door  of  the  spirit 
home. 

"I  was  born  near  the  forks  of  the  Chey 
enne  River,  about  seventy  years  ago.  My 
father  was  not  a  chief ;  my  grandfather  was 
not  a  chief,  but  a  good  hunter  and  a  feast- 
maker.  On  my  mother's  side  I  had  some 
noted  ancestors,  but  they  left  me  no  chief 
tainship.  I  had  to  work  for  my  reputa 
tion. 

"When  I  was  a  boy,  I  loved  to  fight,"  he 


134  INDIAN  HEROES 

continued.  "In  all  our  boyish  games  I  had 
the  name  of  being  hard  to  handle,  and  I  took 
much  pride  in  the  fact. 

"I  was  about  ten  years  old  when  we 
encountered  a  band  of  Cheyennes.  They 
were  on  friendly  terms  with  us,  but  we  boys 
always  indulged  in  sham  fights  on  such 
occasions,  and  this  time  I  got  in  an  honest 
fight  with  a  Cheyenne  boy  older  than  I.  I 
got  the  best  of  the  boy,  but  he  hit  me  hard 
in  the  face  several  times,  and  my  face  was 
all  spattered  with  blood  and  streaked  where 
the  paint  had  been  washed  away.  The 
Sioux  boys  whooped  and  yelled : 

"'His  enemy  is  down,  and  his  face  is 
spattered  as  if  with  rain!  Rain-in-the- 
Face!  His  name  shall  be  Rain-in-the- 
Face!' 

"Afterwards,  when  I  was  a  young  man, 
we  went  on  a  warpath  against  the  Gros 
Ventres.  We  stole  some  of  their  horses, 
but  were  overtaken  and  had  to  abandon 
the  horses  and  fight  for  our  lives.  I  had 
wished  my  face  to  represent  the  sun  when 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  135 

partly  covered  with  darkness,  so  I  painted 
it  half  black,  half  red.  We  fought  all 
day  in  the  rain,  and  my  face  was  partly 
washed  and  streaked  with  red  and  black : 
so  again  I  was  christened  Rain-in-the-Face. 
We  considered  it  an  honorable  name. 

"I  had  been  on  many  warpaths,  but  was 
not  especially  successful  until  about  the 
time  the  Sioux  began  to  fight  with  the  white 
man.  One  of  the  most  daring  attacks  that 
we  ever  made  was  at  Fort  Totten,  North 
Dakota,  in  the  summer  of  1866. 

"Hohay,  the  Assiniboine  captive  of  Sit 
ting  Bull,  was  the  leader  in  this  raid. 
Wapaypay,  the  Fearless  Bear,  who  was 
afterward  hanged  at  Yank  ton,  was  the 
bravest  man  among  us.  He  dared  Hohay 
to  make  the  charge.  Hohay  accepted  the 
challenge,  and  in  turn  dared  the  other  to 
ride  with  him  through  the  agency  and  right 
under  the  walls  of  the  fort,  which  was  well 
garrisoned  and  strong. 

"Wapaypay  and  I  in  those  days  called 
each  other  'brother-friend.'  It  was  a  life- 


136  INDIAN  HEROES 

and-death  vow.  What  one  does  the  other 
must  do ;  and  that  meant  that  I  must  be  in 
the  forefront  of  the  charge,  and  if  he  is 
killed,  I  must  fight  until  I  die  also ! 

"I  prepared  for  death.  I  painted  as 
usual  like  an  eclipse  of  the  sun,  half  black 
and  half  red." 

His  eyes  gleamed  and  his  face  lighted  up 
remarkably  as  he  talked,  pushing  his  black 
hair  back  from  his  forehead  with  a  nervous 
gesture. 

"Now  the  signal  for  the  charge  was  given  ! 
I  started  even  with  Wapaypay,  but  his 
horse  was  faster  than  mine,  so  he  left  me  a 
little  behind  as  we  neared  the  fort.  This 
was  bad  for  me,  for  by  that  time  the  soldiers 
had  somewhat  recovered  from  the  surprise 
and  were  aiming  better. 

"Their  big  gun  talked  very  loud,  but  my 
Wap&ypay  was  leading  on,  leaning  forward 
on  his  fleet  pony  like  a  flying  squirrel  on  a 
smooth  log !  He  held  his  rawhide  shield 
on  the  right  side,  a  little  to  the  front,  and 
so  did  I.  Our  warwhoop  was  like  the 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  137 

coyotes  singing  in  the  evening,  when  they 
smell  blood ! 

:  "The  soldiers'  guns  talked  fast,  but  few 
were  hurt.  Their  big  gun  was  like  a  tooth 
less  old  dog,  who  only  makes  himself  hotter 
the  more  noise  he  makes,"  he  remarked  with 
some  humor. 

"How  much  harm  we  did  I  do  not  know, 
but  we  made  things  lively  for  a  time ;  and 
the  white  men  acted  as  people  do  when  a 
swarm  of  angry  bees  get  into  camp.  We 
made  a  successful  retreat,  but  some  of  the 
reservation  Indians  followed  us  yelling, 
until  Hohay  told  them  that  he  did  not  wish 
to  fight  with  the  captives  of  the  white  man, 
for  there  would  be  no  honor  in  that.  There 
was  blood  running  down  my  leg,  and  I  found 
that  both  my  horse  and  I  were  slightly 
wounded. 

"Some  two  years  later  we  attacked  a  fort 
west  of  the  Black  Hills  [Fort  Phil  Kearny, 
Wyoming],  It  was  there  we  killed  one 
hundred  soldiers."  [The  military  reports 
say  eighty  men,  under  the  command  of 


138  INDIAN  HEROES 

Captain  Fetterman  —  not  one  left  alive  to 
tell  the  tale  !]  "  Nearly  every  band  of  the 
Sioux  nation  was  represented  in  that  fight 
—  Red  Cloud,  Spotted  Tail,  Crazy  Horse, 
Sitting  Bull,  Big  Foot,  and  all  our  great 
chiefs  were  there.  Of  course  such  men 
as  I  were  then  comparatively  unknown. 
However,  there  were  many  noted  young 
warriors,  among  them  Sword,  the  younger 
Young-Man-Afraid,  American  Horse  [after 
ward  chief],  Crow  King,  and  others. 

"This  was  the  plan  decided  upon  after 
many  councils.  The  main  war  party  lay  in 
ambush,  and  a  few  of  the  bravest  young 
men  were  appointed  to  attack  the  wood- 
choppers  who  were  cutting  logs  to  complete 
the  building  of  the  fort.  We  were  told  not 
to  kill  these  men,  but  to  chase  them  into  the 
fort  and  retreat  slowly,  defying  the  white 
men ;  and  if  the  soldiers  should  follow,  we 
were  to  lead  them  into  the  ambush.  They 
took  our  bait  exactly  as  we  had  hoped! 
It  was  a  matter  of  a  very  few  minutes,  for 
every  soldier  lay  dead  in  a  shorter  time 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  139 

than  it  takes  to  annihilate  a  small  herd  of 
buffalo. 

"This  attack  was  hastened  because  most 
of  the  Sioux  on  the  Missouri  River  and  east 
ward  had  begun  to  talk  of  suing  for  peace. 
But  even  this  did  not  stop  the  peace  move 
ment.  The  very  next  year  a  treaty  was 
signed  at  Fort  Rice,  Dakota  Territory,  by 
nearly  all  the  Sioux  chiefs,  in  which  it  was 
agreed  on  the  part  of  the  Great  Father  in 
Washington  that  all  the  country  north  of  the 
Republican  River  in  Nebraska,  including  the 
Black  Hills  and  the  Big  Horn  Mountains, 
was  to  be  always  Sioux  country,  and  no 
white  man  should  intrude  upon  it  without 
our  permission.  Even  with  this  agreement 
Sitting  Bull  and  Crazy  Horse  were  not 
satisfied,  and  they  would  not  sign. 

"Up  to  this  time  I  had  fought  in  some 
important  battles,  but  had  achieved  no 
great  deed.  I  was  ambitious  to  make  a  name 
for  myself.  I  joined  war  parties  against 
the  Crows,  Mandans,  Gros  Ventres,  and 
Pawnees,  and  gained  some  little  distinction. 


140  INDIAN  HEROES 

"It  was  when  the  white  men  found  the 
yellow  metal  in  our  country,  and  came  in 
great  numbers,  driving  away  our  game,  that 
we  took  up  arms  against  them  for  the  last 
time.  I  must  say  here  that  the  chiefs  who 
were  loudest  for  war  were  among  the  first 
to  submit  and  accept  reservation  life. 
Spotted  Tail  was  a  great  warrior,  yet  he 
was  one  of  the  first  to  yield,  because  he  was 
promised  by  the  Chief  Soldiers  that  they 
would  make  him  chief  of  all  the  Sioux. 
Ugh !  he  would  have  stayed  with  Sitting 
Bull  to  the  last  had  it  not  been  for  his 
ambition. 

"About  this  time  we  young  warriors 
began  to  watch  the  trails  of  the  white  men 
into  the  Black  Hills,  and  when  we  saw  a 
wagon  coming  we  would  hide  at  the  crossing 
and  kill  them  all  without  much  trouble. 
We  did  this  to  discourage  the  whites  from 
coming  into  our  country  without  our  per 
mission.  It  was  the  duty  of  our  Great 
Father  at  Washington,  by  the  agreement  of 
1868,  to  keep  his  white  children  away. 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  141 

"During  the  troublesome  time  after  this 
treaty,  which  no  one  seemed  to  respect, 
either  white  or  Indian  [but  the  whites  broke 
it  first],  I  was  like  many  other  young  men 
—  much  on  the  warpath,  but  with  little 
honor.  I  had  not  yet  become  noted  for  any 
great  deed.  Finally,  Wapaypay  and  I  way 
laid  and  killed  a  white  soldier  on  his  way 
from  the  fort  to  his  home  in  the  east. 

"There  were  a  few  Indians  who  were  liars, 
and  never  on  the  warpath,  playing  'good 
Indian '  with  the  Indian  agents  and  the  war 
chiefs  at  the  forts.  Some  of  this  faithless 
set  betrayed  me,  and  told  more  than  I  ever 
did.  I  was  seized  and  taken  to  the  fort 
near  Bismarck,  North  Dakota  [Fort  Abra 
ham  Lincoln],  by  a  brother  [Tom  Custer] 
of  the  Long-Haired  War  Chief,  and  im 
prisoned  there.  These  same  lying  Indians, 
who  were  selling  their  services  as  scouts  to 
the  white  man,  told  me  that  I  was  to  be  shot 
to  death,  or  else  hanged  upon  a  tree.  I 
answered  that  I  was  not  afraid  to  die. 

"However,  there  was  an  old  soldier  who 


142  INDIAN  HEROES 

used  to  bring  my  food  and  stand  guard  over 
me  —  he  was  a  white  man,  it  is  true,  but  he 
had  an  Indian  heart !  He  came  to  me  one 
day  and  unfastened  the  iron  chain  and  ball 
with  which  they  had  locked  my  leg,  saying 
by  signs  and  what  little  Sioux  he  could 
muster : 

' '  Go,  friend  !  take  the  chain  and  ball  with 
you.  I  shall  shoot,  but  the  voice  of  the  gun 
will  lie.' 

"When  he  had  made  me  understand,  you 
may  guess  that  I  ran  my  best !  I  was  almost 
over  the  bank  when  he  fired  his  piece  at  me 
several  times,  but  I  had  already  gained  cover 
and  was  safe.  I  have  never  told  this  before, 
and  would  not,  lest  it  should  do  him  an  in 
jury,  but  he  was  an  old  man  then,  and  I  am 
sure  he  must  be  dead  long  since.  That  old 
soldier  taught  me  that  some  of  the  white 
people  have  hearts,"  he  added,  quite  seri 
ously. 

"I  went  back  to  Standing  Rock  in  the 
night,  and  I  had  to  hide  for  several  days  in 
the  woods,  where  food  was  brought  to  me 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  143 

by  my  relatives.  The  Indian  police  were 
ordered  to  retake  me,  and  they  pretended 
to  hunt  for  me,  but  really  they  did  not,  for 
if  they  had  found  me  I  would  have  died  with 
one  or  two  of  them,  and  they  knew  it !  In  a 
few  days  I  departed  with  several  others,  and 
we  rejoined  the  hostile  camp  on  the  Powder 
River  and  made  some  trouble  for  the  men 
who  were  building  the  great  iron  track 
north  of  us  [Northern  Pacific]. 

"In  the  spring  the  hostile  Sioux  got 
together  again  upon  the  Tongue  River.  It 
was  one  of  the  greatest  camps  of  the  Sioux 
that  I  ever  saw.  There  were  some  Northern 
Cheyennes  with  us,  under  Two  Moon,  and 
a  few  Santee  Sioux,  renegades  from  Canada, 
under  Inkpaduta,  who  had  killed  white 
people  in  Iowa  long  before.  We  had  de 
cided  to  fight  the  white  soldiers  until  no 
warrior  should  be  left." 

At  this  point  Rain-in-the-Face  took  up  his 
tobacco  pouch  and  began  again  to  fill  his  pipe. 

"Of  course  the  younger  warriors  were 
delighted  with  the  prospect  of  a  great  fight ! 


144  INDIAN  HEROES 

Our  scouts  had  discovered  piles  of  oats  for 
horses  and  other  supplies  near  the  Missouri 
River.  They  had  been  brought  by  the 
white  man's  fire-boats.  Presently  they  re 
ported  a  great  army  about  a  day's  travel  to 
the  south,  with  Shoshone  and  Crow  scouts. 

"  There  was  excitement  among  the  people, 
and  a  great  council  was  held.  Many  spoke. 
I  was  asked  the  condition  of  those  Indians 
who  had  gone  upon  the  reservation,  and  I 
told  them  truly  that  they  were  nothing  more 
than  prisoners.  It  was  decided  to  go  out 
and  meet  Three  Stars  [General  Crook]  at  a 
safe  distance  from  our  camp. 

"We  met  him  on  the  Little  Rosebud.  I 
believe  that  if  we  had  waited  and  allowed 
him  to  make  the  attack,  he  would  have 
fared  no  better  than  Custer.  He  was  too 
strongly  fortified  where  he  was,  and  I  think, 
too,  that  he  was  saved  partly  by  his  Indian 
allies,  for  the  scouts  discovered  us  first  and 
fought  us  first,  thus  giving  him  time  to  make 
his  preparations.  I  think  he  was  more  wise 
than  brave !  After  we  had  left  that  neigh- 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  145 

borhood  he  might  have  pushed  on  and  con 
nected  with  the  Long-Haired  Chief.  That 
would  have  saved  Custer  and  perhaps  won 
the  day. 

"When  we  crossed  from  Tongue  River 
to  the  Little  Big  Horn,  on  account  of  the 
scarcity  of  game,  we  did  not  anticipate  any 
more  trouble.  Our  runners  had  discovered 
that  Crook  had  retraced  his  trail  to  Goose 
Creek,  and  we  did  not  suppose  that  the 
white  men  would  care  to  follow  us  farther 
into  the  rough  country. 

"Suddenly  the  Long-Haired  Chief  ap 
peared  with  his  men !  It  was  a  surprise." 

"What  part  of  the  camp  were  you  in 
when  the  soldiers  attacked  the  lower  end  ?  " 
I  asked. 

"I  had  been  invited  to  a  feast  at  one  of 
the  young  men's  lodges  [a  sort  of  club]. 
There  was  a  certain  warrior  who  was  making 
preparations  to  go  against  the  Crows,  and 
I  had  decided  to  go  also,"  he  said. 

"  While  I  was  eating  my  meat  we  heard 
the  war  cry !  We  all  rushed  out,  and  saw 


146  INDIAN  HEROES 

a  warrior  riding  at  top  speed  from  the  lower 
camp,  giving  the  warning  as  he  came. 
Then  we  heard  the  reports  of  the  soldiers' 
guns,  which  sounded  differently  from  the 
guns  fired  by  our  people  in  battle. 

"I  ran  to  my  teepee  and  seized  my  gun, 
a  bow,  and  a  quiver  full  of  arrows.  I 
already  had  my  stone  war  club,  for  you 
know  we  usually  carry  those  by  way  of 
ornament.  Just  as  I  was  about  to  set  out 
to  meet  Reno,  a  body  of  soldiers  appeared 
nearly  opposite  us,  at  the  edge  of  a  long 
line  of  cliffs  across  the  river. 

"All  of  us  who  were  mounted  and  ready 
immediately  started  down  the  stream  to 
ward  the  ford.  There  were  Ogallalas,  Min- 
neconjous,  Cheyennes,  and  some  Unkpapas, 
and  those  around  me  seemed  to  be  nearly 
all  very  young  men. 

"'  Behold,  there  is  among  us  a  young 
woman!'  I  shouted.  'Let  no  young  man 
hide  behind  her  garment ! '  I  knew  that 
would  make  those  young  men  brave. 

"The  woman  was  Tashenamani,  or  Mov- 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  147 

ing  Robe,  whose  brother  had  just  been 
killed  in  the  fight  with  Three  Stars.  Hold 
ing  her  brother's  war  staff  over  her  head, 
and  leaning  forward  upon  her  charger,  she 
looked  as  pretty  as  a  bird.  Always  when 
there  is  a  woman  in  the  charge,  it  causes 
the  warriors  to  vie  with  one  another  in 
displaying  their  valor,"  he  added. 

"The  foremost  warriors  had  almost  sur 
rounded  the  white  men,  and  more  were 
continually  crossing  the  stream.  The  sol 
diers  had  dismounted,  and  were  firing  into 
the  camp  from  the  top  of  the  cliff." 

"My  friend,  was  Sitting  Bull  in  this 
fight?"  I  inquired. 

"I  did  not  see  him  there,  but  I  learned 
afterward  that  he  was  among  those  who 
met  Reno,  and  that  was  three  or  four  of  the 
white  man's  miles  from  Ouster's  position. 
Later  he  joined  the  attack  upon  Custer,  but 
was  not  among  the  foremost. 

"When  the  troops  were  surrounded  on  two 
sides,  with  the  river  on  the  third,  the  order 
came  to  charge !  There  were  many  very 


148  INDIAN  HEROES 

young  men,  some  of  whom  had  only  a  war 
staff  or  a  stone  war  club  in  hand,  who 
plunged  into  the  column,  knocking  the  men 
over  and  stampeding  their  horses. 

"The  soldiers  had  mounted  and  started 
back,  but  when  the  onset  came  they  dis 
mounted  again  and  separated  into  several 
divisions,  facing  different  ways.  They  fired 
as  fast  as  they  could  load  their  guns,  while 
we  used  chiefly  arrows  and  war  clubs. 
There  seemed  to  be  two  distinct  movements 
among  the  Indians.  One  body  moved 
continually  in  a  circle,  while  the  other  rode 
directly  into  and  through  the  troops. 

"Presently  some  of  the  soldiers  re 
mounted  and  fled  along  the  ridge  toward 
Reno's  position ;  but  they  were  followed  by 
our  warriors,  like  hundreds  of  blackbirds 
after  a  hawk.  A  larger  body  remained 
together  at  the  upper  end  of  a  little  ravine, 
and  fought  bravely  until  they  were  cut  to 
pieces.  I  had  always  thought  that  white 
men  were  cowards,  but  I  had  a  great  respect 
for  them  after  this  day. 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  149 

"It  is  generally  said  that  a  young  man 
with  nothing  but  a  war  staff  in  his  hand 
broke  through  the  column  and  knocked 
down  the  leader  very  early  in  the  fight. 
We  supposed  him  to  be  the  leader,  be 
cause  he  stood  up  in  full  view,  swinging  his 
big  knife  [sword]  over  his  head,  and  talking 
loud.  Some  one  unknown  afterwards  shot 
the  chief,  and  he  was  probably  killed  also ; 
for  if  not,  he  would  have  told  of  the  deed, 
and  called  others  to  witness  it.  So  it  is 
that  no  one  knows  who  killed  the  Long- 
Haired  Chief  [General  Custer]. 

"After  the  first  rush  was  over,  coups  were 
counted  as  usual  on  the  bodies  of  the  slain. 
You  know  four  coups  [or  blows]  can  be 
counted  on  the  body  of  an  enemy,  and  who 
ever  counts  the  first  one  [touches  it  for  the 
first  time]  is  entitled  to  the  'first  feather.' 

"There  was  an  Indian  here  called  Appear 
ing  Elk,  who  died  a  short  time  ago.  He 
was  slightly  wounded  in  the  charge.  He 
had  some  of  the  weapons  of  the  Long- 
Haired  Chief,  and  the  Indians  used  to  say 


150  INDIAN  HEROES 

jokingly  after  we  came  upon  the  reserva 
tion  that  Appearing  Elk  must  have  killed 
the  Chief,  because  he  had  his  sword  !  How 
ever,  the  scramble  for  plunder  did  not 
begin  until  all  were  dead.  I  do  not  think 
he  killed  Custer,  and  if  he  had,  the  time  to 
claim  the  honor  was  immediately  after  the 
fight. 

"Many  lies  have  been  told  of  me.  Some 
say  that  I  killed  the  Chief,  and  others  that 
I  cut  out  the  heart  of  his  brother  [Tom 
Custer],  because  he  had  caused  me  to  be 
imprisoned.  Why,  in  that  fight  the  excite 
ment  was  so  great  that  we  scarcely  recog 
nized  our  nearest  friends  !  Everything  was 
done  like  lightning.  After  the  battle  we 
young  men  were  chasing  horses  all  over  the 
prairie,  while  the  old  men  and  women 
plundered  the  bodies ;  and  if  any  mutilating 
was  done,  it  was  by  the  old  men. 

"I  have  lived  peaceably  ever  since  we 
came  upon  the  reservation.  No  one  can 
say  that  Rain-in-the-Face  has  broken  the 
rules  of  the  Great  Father.  I  fought  for  my 


RAIN-IN-THE-FACE  151 

people  and  my  country.  When  we  were 
conquered  I  remained  silent,  as  a  warrior 
should.  Rain-in-the-Face  was  killed  when 
he  put  down  his  weapons  before  the  Great 
Father.  His  spirit  was  gone  then ;  only 
his  poor  body  lived  on,  but  now  it  is  almost 
ready  to  lie  down  for  the  last  time.  Ho, 
hechetu  !  [It  is  well.]  " 


TWO  STRIKE 

IT  is  a  pity  that  so  many  interesting 
names  of  well-known  Indians  have  been 
mistranslated,  so  that  their  meaning 
becomes  very  vague  if  it  is  not  wholly  lost. 
In  some  cases  an  opposite  meaning  is  con 
veyed.  For  instance  there  is  the  name, 
6 '  Young  -  Man  -  Afraid  -  of  -  His  -  Horses. ' '  It 
does  not  mean  that  the  owner  of  the  name 
is  afraid  of  his  own  horse  —  far  from  it ! 
Tashunkekokipapi  signifies  "The  young  men 
[of  the  enemy]  fear  his  horses."  Whenever 
that  man  attacks,  the  enemy  knows  there 
will  be  a  determined  charge. 

The  name  Tashunkewitko,  or  Crazy 
Horse,  is  a  poetic  simile.  This  leader  was 
likened  to  an  untrained  or  untouched  horse, 
wild,  ignorant  of  domestic  uses,  splendid  in 
action,  and  unconscious  of  danger. 

The  name  of  Two  Strike  is  a  deed  name. 
152 


TWO  STRIKE  153 

In  a  battle  with  the  TJtes  this  man  knocked 
two  enemies  from  the  back  of  a  war  horse. 
The  true  rendering  of  the  name  Nomkahpa 
would  be,  "He  knocked  off  two." 
r  I  was  well  acquainted  with  Two  Strike 
and  spent  many  pleasant  hours  with  him, 
both  at  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  in  his  home 
on  the  Rosebud  reservation.  What  I  have 
written  is  not  all  taken  from  his  own  mouth, 
because  he  was  modest  in  talking  about 
himself,  but  I  had  him  vouch  for  the  truth 
of  the  stories.  He  said  that  he  was  born 
near  the  Republican  River  about  1832. 
His  earliest  recollection  was  of  an  attack 
by  the  Shoshones  upon  their  camp  on  the 
Little  Piney.  The  first  white  men  he  ever 
met  were  traders  who  visited  his  people 
when  he  was  very  young.  The  incident 
was  still  vividly  with  him,  because,  he  said, 
"They  made  my  father  crazy,"  [drunk]. 
This  made  a  deep  impression  upon  him,  he 
told  me,  so  that  from  that  day  he  was 
always  afraid  of  the  white  man's  "myste 
rious  water." 


154  INDIAN  HEROES 

Two  Strike  was  not  a  large  man,  but  he 
was  very  supple  and  alert  in  motion,  as 
agile  as  an  antelope.  His  face  was  mobile 
and  intelligent.  Although  he  had  the  usual 
somber  visage  of  an  Indian,  his  expression 
brightened  up  wonderfully  when  he  talked. 
In  some  ways  wily  and  shrewd  in  intellect, 
he  was  not  deceitful  nor  mean.  He  had  a 
high  sense  of  duty  and  honor.  Patriotism 
was  his  ideal  and  goal  of  life. 

As  a  young  man  he  was  modest  and  even 
shy,  although  both  his  father  and  grand 
father  were  well-known  chiefs.  I  could 
find  few  noteworthy  incidents  in  his  early 
life,  save  that  he  was  an  expert  rider  of  wild 
horses.  At  one  time  I  was  pressing  him  to 
give  me  some  interesting  incident  of  his 
boyhood.  He  replied  to  the  effect  that 
there  was  plenty  of  excitement  but  "not 
much  in  it."  There  was  a  delegation  of 
Sioux  chiefs  visiting  Washington,  and  we 
were  spending  an  evening  together  in  their 
hotel.  Hollow  Horn  Bear  spoke  up  and 
said: 


TWO  STRIKE  155 

"Why  don't  you  tell  him  how  you  and  a 
buffalo  cow  together  held  your  poor  father 
up  and  froze  him  almost  to  death?" 

Everybody  laughed,  and  another  man 
remarked :  "I  think  he  had  better  tell  the 
medicine  man  (meaning  myself)  how  he  lost 
the  power  of  speech  when  he  first  tried  to 
court  a  girl."  Two  Strike,  although  he  was 
then  close  to  eighty  years  of  age,  was  vis 
ibly  embarrassed  by  their  chaff. 

"Anyway,  I  stuck  to  the  trail.  I  kept 
on  till  I  got  what  I  wanted,"  he  muttered. 
And  then  came  the  story. 

The  old  chief,  his  father,  was  very  fond  of 
the  buffalo  hunt;  and  being  accomplished 
in  horsemanship  and  a  fine  shot,  although 
not  very  powerfully  built,  young  Two 
Strike  was  already  following  hard  in  his 
footsteps.  Like  every  proud  father,  his 
was  giving  him  every  incentive  to  perfect 
his  skill,  and  one  day  challenged  his  sixteen- 
year-old  son  to  the  feat  of  "one  arrow  to 
kill"  at  the  very  next  chase. 

It    was    midwinter.     A    large    herd    of 


156  INDIAN  HEROES 

buffalo  was  reported  by  the  game  scout. 
The  hunters  gathered  at  daybreak  pre 
pared  for  the  charge.  The  old  chief  had 
his  tried  charger  equipped  with  a  soft, 
pillow-like  Indian  saddle  and  a  lariat. 
His  old  sinew-backed  hickory  bow  was 
examined  and  strung,  and  a  fine  straight 
arrow  with  a  steel  head  carefully  selected 
for  the  test.  He  adjusted  a  keen  butcher 
knife  over  his  leather  belt,  which  held  a 
warm  buffalo  robe  securely  about  his  body. 
He  wore  neither  shirt  nor  coat,  although  a 
piercing  wind  was  blowing  from  the  north 
west.  The  youthful  Two  Strike  had  his 
favorite  bow  and  his  swift  pony,  which  was 
perhaps  dearer  to  him  than  his  closest  boy 
comrade. 

Now  the  hunters  crouched  upon  their 
horses'  necks  like  an  army  in  line  of  battle, 
while  behind  them  waited  the  boys  and  old 
men  with  pack  ponies  to  carry  the  meat. 
"Hukahey !"  shouted  the  leader  as  a  warn 
ing.  "Yekiya  wo!"  (Go)  and  in  an  in 
stant  all  the  ponies  leaped  forward  against 


TWO  STRIKE  157 

the  cutting  wind,  as  if  it  were  the  start  in 
a  horse  race.  Every  rider  leaned  forward, 
tightly  wrapped  in  his  robe,  watching  the 
flying  herd  for  an  opening  in  the  mass  of 
buffalo,  a  chance  to  cut  out  some  of  the 
fattest  cows.  This  was  the  object  of  the 
race. 

The  chief  had  a  fair  start;  his  horse  was 
well  trained  and  needed  no  urging  nor 
guidance.  Without  the  slightest  pull  on 
the  lariat  he  dashed  into  the  thickest  of  the 
herd.  The  youth's  pony  had  been  prancing 
and  rearing  impatiently ;  he  started  a  little 
behind,  yet  being  swift  passed  many.  His 
rider  had  one  clear  glimpse  of  his  father 
ahead  of  him,  then  the  snow  arose  in  blind 
ing  clouds  on  the  trail  of  the  bison.  The 
whoops  of  the  hunters,  the  lowing  of  the 
cows,  and  the  menacing  glances  of  the  bulls 
as  they  plunged  along,  or  now  and  then 
stood  at  bay,  were  enough  to  unnerve  a  boy 
less  well  tried.  He  was  unable  to  select  his 
victim.  He  had  been  carried  deeply  into 
the  midst  of  the  herd  and  found  himself 


158  INDIAN  HEROES 

helpless  to  make  the  one  sure  shot,  there 
fore  he  held  his  one  arrow  in  his  mouth  and 
merely  strove  to  separate  them  so  as  to 
get  his  chance. 

At  last  the  herd  parted,  and  he  cut  out 
two  fat  cows,  and  was  maneuvering  for 
position  when  a  rider  appeared  out  of  the 
snow  cloud  on  their  other  side.  This 
aroused  him  to  make  haste  lest  his  rival 
secure  both  cows;  he  saw  his  chance,  and 
in  a  twinkling  his  arrow  sped  clear  through 
one  of  the  animals  so  that  she  fell  headlong. 

In  this  instant  he  observed  that  the  man 
who  had  joined  him  was  his  own  father, 
who  had  met  with  the  same  difficulties  as 
himself.  When  the  young  man  had  shot 
his  only  arrow,  the  old  chief  with  a  whoop 
went  after  the  cow  that  was  left,  but  as  he 
gained  her  broadside,  his  horse  stepped  in  a 
badger  hole  and  fell,  throwing  him  head 
long.  The  maddened  buffalo,  as  sometimes 
happens  in  such  cases,  turned  upon  the  pony 
and  gored  him  to  death.  His  rider  lay 
motionless,  while  Two  Strike  rushed  for- 


TWO  STRIKE  159 

ward  to  draw  her  attention,  but  she  merely 
tossed  her  head  at  him,  while  persistently 
standing  guard  over  the  dead  horse  and  the 
all  but  frozen  Indian. 

Alas  for  the  game  of  "one  arrow  to  kill !" 
The  boy  must  think  fast,  for  his  father's 
robe  had  slipped  off,  and  he  was  playing 
dead,  lying  almost  naked  in  the  bitter  air 
upon  the  trampled  snow.  His  bluff  would 
not  serve,  so  he  flew  back  to  pull  out  his 
solitary  arrow  from  the  body  of  the  dead 
cow.  Quickly  wheeling  again,  he  sent  it 
into  her  side  and  she  fell.  The  one  arrow 
to  kill  had  become  one  arrow  to  kill  two 
buffalo  !  At  the  council  lodge  that  evening 
Two  Strike  was  the  hero. 

The  following  story  is  equally  character 
istic  of  him,  and  in  explanation  it  should  be 
said  that  in  the  good  old  days  among  the 
Sioux,  a  young  man  is  not  supposed  to 
associate  with  girls  until  he  is  ready  to  take 
a  wife.  It  was  a  rule  with  our  young  men, 
especially  the  honorable  and  well-born,  to 
gain  some  reputation  in  the  hunt  and  in 


160  INDIAN  HEROES 

war,  —  the  more  difficult  the  feats  achieved 
the  better,  —  before  even  speaking  to  a 
young  woman.  Many  a  life  was  risked  in 
the  effort  to  establish  a  reputation  along 
these  lines.  Courtship  was  no  secret,  but 
rather  a  social  event,  often  celebrated  by 
the  proud  parents  with  feasts  and  presents 
to  the  poor,  and  this  etiquette  was  some 
times  felt  by  a  shy  or  sensitive  youth  as  an 
insurmountable  obstacle  to  the  fulfilment 
of  his  desires. 

Two  Strike  was  the  son  and  grandson  of  a 
chief,  but  he  could  not  claim  any  credit  for 
the  deeds  of  his  forbears.  He  had  not  only 
to  guard  their  good  name  but  achieve  one 
for  himself.  This  he  had  set  out  to  do,  and 
he  did  well.  He  was  now  of  marriageable 
age  with  a  war  record,  and  admitted  to  the 
council,  yet  he  did  not  seem  to  trouble  him 
self  at  all  about  a  wife.  His  was  strictly  a 
bachelor  career.  Meanwhile,  as  is  apt  to 
be  the  case,  his  parents  had  thought  much 
about  a  possible  daughter-in-law,  and  had 
even  collected  ponies,  fine  robes,  and  other 


TWO  STRIKE  161 

acceptable  goods  to  be  given  away  in  honor 
of  the  event,  whenever  it  should  take  place. 
Now  and  then  they  would  drop  a  sly  hint, 
but  with  no  perceptible  effect. 

They  did  not  and  could  not  know  of  the 
inward  struggle  that  racked  his  mind  at  this 
period  of  his  life.  The  shy  and  modest 
young  man  was  dying  for  a  wife,  yet  could 
not  bear  even  to  think  of  speaking  to  a 
young  woman !  The  fearless  hunter  of 
buffaloes,  mountain  lions,  and  grizzlies,  the 
youth  who  had  won  his  eagle  feathers  in  a 
battle  with  the  Utes,  could  not  bring  him 
self  to  take  this  tremendous  step. 

At  last  his  father  appealed  to  him  di 
rectly.  "My  son,"  he  declared,  "it  is  your 
duty  to  take  unto  yourself  a  wife,  in  order 
that  the  honors  won  by  your  ancestors  and 
by  yourself  may  be  handed  down  in  the 
direct  line.  There  are  several  eligible  young 
women  in  our  band  whose  parents  have 
intimated  a  wish  to  have  you  for  their 
son-in-law." 

Two  Strike  made  no  reply,  but  he  was 


162  INDIAN  HEROES 

greatly  disturbed.  He  had  no  wish  to  have 
the  old  folks  select  his  bride,  for  if  the  truth 
were  told,  his  choice  was  already  made. 
He  had  simply  lacked  the  courage  to  go 
a-courting ! 

The  next  morning,  after  making  an  un 
usually  careful  toilet,  he  took  his  best  horse 
and  rode  to  a  point  overlooking  the  path  by 
which  the  girls  went  for  water.  Here  the 
young  men  were  wont  to  take  their  stand, 
and,  if  fortunate,  intercept  the  girl  of  their 
heart  for  a  brief  but  fateful  interview.  Two 
Strike  had  determined  to  speak  straight  to 
the  point,  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  the  pretty 
maid  he  came  forward  boldly  and  placed 
himself  in  her  way.  A  long  moment  passed. 
She  glanced  up  at  him  shyly  but  not  without 
encouragement.  His  teeth  fairly  chattered 
with  fright,  and  he  could  not  say  a  word. 
She  looked  again,  noted  his  strange  looks, 
and  believed  him  suddenly  taken  ill.  He 
appeared  to  be  suffering.  At  last  he  feebly 
made  signs  for  her  to  go  on  and  leave  him 
alone.  The  maiden  was  sympathetic,  but 


TWO  STRIKE  163 

as  she  did  not  know  what  else  to  do  she 
obeyed  his  request. 

The  poor  youth  was  so  ashamed  of  his 
cowardice  that  he  afterward  admitted  his 
first  thought  was  to  take  his  own  life.  He 
believed  he  had  disgraced  himself  forever 
in  the  eyes  of  the  only  girl  he  had  ever  loved. 
However,  he  determined  to  conquer  his 
weakness  and  win  her,  which  he  did.  The 
story  came  out  many  years  after  and  was 
told  with  much  enjoyment  by  the  old  men. 

Two  Strike  was  better  known  by  his  own 
people  than  by  the  whites,  for  he  was  in 
dividually  a  terror  in  battle  rather  than  a 
leader.  He  achieved  his  honorable  name 
in  a  skirmish  with  the  Utes  in  Colorado. 
The  Sioux  regarded  these  people  as  their 
bravest  enemies,  and  the  outcome  of  the 
fight  was  for  some  time  uncertain.  First 
the  Sioux  were  forced  to  retreat  and  then 
their  opponents,  and  at  the  latter  point  the 
horse  of  a  certain  Ute  was  shot  under  him. 
A  friend  came  to  his  rescue  and  took  him 
up  behind  him.  Our  hero  overtook  them 


164  INDIAN  HEROES 

in  flight,  raised  his  war  club,  and  knocked 
both  men  off  with  one  blow. 

He  was  a  very  old  man  when  he  died,  only 
two  or  three  years  ago,  on  the  Rosebud 
reservation. 


AMERICAN  HORSE 

ONE  of  the  wittiest  and  shrewdest  of 
the  Sioux  chiefs  was  American 
Horse,  who  succeeded  to  the  name 
and  position  of  an  uncle,  killed  in  the  battle 
of  Slim  Buttes  in  1876.  The  younger 
American  Horse  was  born  a  little  before 
the  encroachments  of  the  whites  upon  the 
Sioux  country  became  serious  and  their 
methods  aggressive,  and  his  early  manhood 
brought  him  into  that  most  trying  and 
critical  period  of  our  history.  He  had  been 
tutored  by  his  uncle,  since  his  own  father 
was  killed  in  battle  while  he  was  still  very 
young.  The  American  Horse  band  was 
closely  attached  to  a  trading  post,  and  its 
members  in  consequence  were  inclined  to  be 
friendly  with  the  whites,  a  policy  closely 
adhered  to  by  their  leader. 

When  he  was  born,  his  old  grandfather 

165 


166  INDIAN  HEROES 

said :  "Put  him  out  in  the  sun  !  Let  him 
ask  his  great-grandfather,  the  Sun,  for  the 
warm  blood  of  a  warrior ! "  And  he  had 
warm  blood.  He  was  a  genial  man,  liking 
notoriety  and  excitement.  He  always  seized 
an  opportunity  to  leap  into  the  center  of 
the  arena. 

In  early  life  he  was  a  clownish  sort  of  boy 
among  the  boys  —  an  expert  mimic  and 
impersonator.  This  talent  made  him  popu 
lar  and  in  his  way  a  leader.  He  was  a 
natural  actor,  and  early  showed  marked 
ability  as  a  speaker. 

American  Horse  was  about  ten  years  old 
when  he  was  attacked  by  three  Crow  war 
riors,  while  driving  a  herd  of  ponies  to 
water.  Here  he  displayed  native  cunning 
and  initiative.  It  seemed  he  had  scarcely 
a  chance  to  escape,  for  the  enemy  was  near. 
He  yelled  frantically  at  the  ponies  to  start 
them  toward  home,  while  he  dropped  off 
into  a  thicket  of  willows  and  hid  there.  A 
part  of  the  herd  was  caught  in  sight  of  the 
camp  and  there  was  a  counter  chase,  but 


AMERICAN  HORSE  167 

the  Crows  got  away  with  the  ponies.  Of 
course  his  mother  was  frantic,  believing  her 
boy  had  been  killed  or  captured ;  but  after 
the  excitement  was  over,  he  appeared  in 
camp  unhurt.  When  questioned  about  his 
escape,  he  remarked:  "I  knew  they  would 
not  take  the  time  to  hunt  for  small  game 
when  there  was  so  much  bigger  close  by." 

When  he  was  quite  a  big  boy,  he  joined  in 
a  buffalo  hunt,  and  on  the  way  back  with 
the  rest  of  the  hunters  his  mule  became 
unmanageable.  American  Horse  had  in 
sisted  on  riding  him  in  addition  to  a  heavy 
load  of  meat  and  skins,  and  the  animal 
evidently  resented  this,  for  he  suddenly 
began  to  run  and  kick,  scattering  fresh  meat 
along  the  road,  to  the  merriment  of  the 
crowd.  But  the  boy  turned  actor,  and 
made  it  appear  that  it  was  at  his  wish  the 
mule  had  given  this  diverting  performance. 
He  clung  to  the  back  of  his  plunging  and 
braying  mount  like  a  circus  rider,  singing 
a  Brave  Heart  song,  and  finally  brought  up 
amid  the  laughter  and  cheers  of  his  com- 


168  INDIAN  HEROES 

panions.  Far  from  admitting  defeat,  he 
boasted  of  his  horsemanship  and  declared 
that  his  " brother"  the  donkey  would  put 
any  enemy  to  flight,  and  that  they  should 
be  called  upon  to  lead  a  charge. 

It  was  several  years  later  that  he  went  to 
sleep  early  one  night  and  slept  soundly, 
having  been  scouting  for  two  nights  pre 
vious.  It  happened  that  there  was  a  raid 
by  the  Crows,  and  when  he  awoke  in  the 
midst  of  the  yelling  and  confusion,  he 
sprang  up  and  attempted  to  join  in  the 
fighting.  Everybody  knew  his  voice  in  all 
the  din,  so  when  he  fired  his  gun  and  an 
nounced  a  coup,  as  was  the  custom,  others 
rushed  to  the  spot,  to  find  that  he  had  shot 
a  hobbled  pony  belonging  to  their  own  camp. 
The  laugh  was  on  him,  and  he  never  recov 
ered  from  his  chagrin  at  this  mistake.  In 
fact,  although  he  was  undoubtedly  fearless 
and  tried  hard  to  distinguish  himself  in 
warfare,  he  did  not  succeed. 

It  is  told  of  him  that  he  once  went  with 
a  war  party  of  young  men  to  the  Wind 


AMERICAN  HORSE  169 

River  country  against  the  Shoshones.  At 
last  they  discovered  a  large  camp,  but  there 
were  only  a  dozen  or  so  of  the  Sioux,  there 
fore  they  hid  themselves  and  watched  for 
their  opportunity  to  attack  an  isolated  party 
of  hunters.  While  waiting  thus,  they  ran 
short  of  food.  One  day  a  small  party  of 
Shoshones  was  seen  near  at  hand,  and  in  the 
midst  of  the  excitement  and  preparations 
for  the  attack,  young  American  Horse 
caught  sight  of  a  fat  black-tail  deer  close  by. 
Unable  to  resist  the  temptation,  he  pulled 
an  arrow  from  his  quiver  and  sent  it  through 
the  deer's  heart,  then  with  several  of  his 
half -starved  companions  sprang  upon  the 
yet  quivering  body  of  the  animal  to  cut  out 
the  liver,  which  was  sometimes  eaten  raw. 
One  of  the  men  was  knocked  down,  it  is 
said,  by  the  last  kick  of  the  dying  buck,  but 
having  swallowed  a  few  mouthfuls  the 
warriors  rushed  upon  and  routed  their 
enemies.  It  is  still  told  of  American  Horse 
how  he  killed  game  and  feasted  between  the 
ambush  and  the  attack. 


170  INDIAN  HEROES 

At  another  time  he  was  drying  his  sacred 
war  bonnet  and  other  gear  over  a  small  fire. 
These  articles  were  held  in  great  veneration 
by  the  Indians  and  handled  accordingly. 
Suddenly  the  fire  blazed  up,  and  our  hero  so 
far  forgot  himself  as  to  begin  energetically 
beating  out  the  flames  with  the  war  bonnet, 
breaking  off  one  of  the  sacred  buffalo  horns 
in  the  act.  One  could  almost  fill  a  book 
with  his  mishaps  and  exploits.  I  will  give 
one  of  them  in  his  own  words  as  well  as  I 
can  remember  them. 

"We  were  as  promising  a  party  of  young 
warriors  as  our  tribe  ever  sent  against  any 
of  its  ancestral  enemies.  It  was  mid 
summer,  and  after  going  two  days'  journey 
from  home  we  began  to  send  two  scouts 
ahead  daily  while  the  main  body  kept  a  half 
day  behind.  The  scouts  set  out  every 
evening  and  traveled  all  night.  One  night 
the  great  war  pipe  was  held  out  to  me  and  to 
Young-Man-Afraid-of-His-Horses.  At  day 
break,  having  met  no  one,  we  hid  our  horses 
and  climbed  to  the  top  of  the  nearest  butte 


AMERICAN  HORSE  171 

to  take  an  observation.  It  was  a  very  hot 
day.  We  lay  flat  on  our  blankets,  facing 
the  west  where  the  cliff  fell  off  in  a  sheer 
descent,  and  with  our  backs  toward  the 
more  gradual  slope  dotted  with  scrub  pines 
and  cedars.  We  stuck  some  tall  grass  on 
our  heads  and  proceeded  to  study  the  land 
scape  spread  before  us  for  any  sign  of  man. 

"The  sweeping  valleys  were  dotted  with 
herds,  both  large  and  small,  of  buffalo  and 
elk,  and  now  and  then  we  caught  a  glimpse 
of  a  coyote  slinking  into  the  gulches,  return 
ing  from  night  hunting  to  sleep.  While 
intently  watching  some  moving  body  at  a 
distance,  we  could  not  yet  tell  whether  of 
men  or  animals,  I  heard  a  faint  noise  behind 
me  and  slowly  turned  my  head.  Behold ! 
a  grizzly  bear  sneaking  up  on  all  fours  and 
almost  ready  to  spring ! 

"'Run  !'  I  yelled  into  the  ear  of  my  com 
panion,  and  we  both  leaped  to  our  feet  in  a 
second.  'Separate!  separate!'  he  shouted, 
and  as  we  did  so,  the  bear  chose  me  for  his 
meat.  I  ran  downhill  as  fast  as  I  could, 


172  INDIAN  HEROES 

but  he  was  gaining.  'Dodge  around  a 
tree!'  screamed  Young-Man-Afraid.  I 
took  a  deep  breath  and  made  a  last  spurt, 
desperately  circling  the  first  tree  I  came  to. 
As  the  ground  was  steep  just  there,  I  turned 
a  somersault  one  way  and  the  bear  the 
other.  I  picked  myself  up  in  time  to  climb 
the  tree,  and  was  fairly  out  of  reach  when  he 
gathered  himself  together  and  came  at  me 
more  furiously  than  ever,  holding  in  one 
paw  the  shreds  of  my  breechcloth,  for  in 
the  fall  he  had  just  scratched  my  back  and 
cut  my  belt  in  two,  and  carried  off  my  only 
garment  for  a  trophy ! 

"My  friend  was  well  up  another  tree  and 
laughing  heartily  at  my  predicament,  and 
when  the  bear  saw  that  he  could  not  get  at 
either  of  us  he  reluctantly  departed,  after 
I  had  politely  addressed  him  and  promised 
to  make  an  offering  to  his  spirit  on  my  safe 
return.  I  don't  think  I  ever  had  a  nar 
rower  escape,"  he  concluded. 

During  the  troublous  times  from  1865  to 
1877,  American  Horse  advocated  yielding 


AMERICAN  HORSE  173 

to  the  government  at  any  cost,  being  no 
doubt  convinced  of  the  uselessness  of  re 
sistance.  He  was  not  a  recognized  leader 
until  1876,  when  he  took  the  name  and  place 
of  his  uncle.  Up  to  this  time  he  bore  the 
nickname  of  Manishnee  (Can  not  walk,  or 
Played  out.) 

When  the  greater  part  of  the  Ogallalas, 
to  which  band  he  belonged,  came  into  the 
reservation,  he  at  once  allied  himself  with 
the  peace  element  at  the  Red  Cloud  agency, 
near  Fort  Robinson,  Nebraska,  and  took  no 
small  part  in  keeping  the  young  braves 
quiet.  Since  the  older  and  better-known 
chiefs,  with  the  exception  of  Spotted  Tail, 
were  believed  to  be  hostile  at  heart,  the  mili 
tary  made  much  use  of  him.  Many  of  his 
young  men  enlisted  as  scouts  by  his  advice, 
and  even  he  himself  entered  the  service. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  year  1876,  there 
was  a  rumor  that  certain  bands  were  in 
danger  of  breaking  away.  Their  leader 
was  one  Sioux  Jim,  so  nicknamed  by  the 
soldiers.  American  Horse  went  to  him  as 


174  INDIAN  HEROES 

peacemaker,  but  was  told  he  was  a  woman 
and  no  brave.  He  returned  to  his  own 
camp  and  told  his  men  that  Sioux  Jim 
meant  mischief,  and  in  order  to  prevent 
another  calamity  to  the  tribe,  he  must  be 
chastised.  He  again  approached  the  war 
like  Jim  with  several  warriors  at  his  back. 
The  recalcitrant  came  out,  gun  in  hand,  but 
the  wily  chief  was  too  quick  for  him.  He 
shot  and  wounded  the  rebel,  whereupon 
one  of  his  men  came  forward  and  killed  him. 
This  quelled  the  people  for  the  time  be 
ing  and  up  to  the  killing  of  Crazy  Horse. 
In  the  crisis  precipitated  by  this  event, 
American  Horse  was  again  influential  and 
energetic  in  the  cause  of  the  government. 
From  this  time  on  he  became  an  active 
participant  in  the  affairs  of  the  Teton 
Sioux.  He  was  noted  for  his  eloquence, 
which  was  nearly  always  conciliatory,  yet 
he  could  say  very  sharp  things  of  the 
duplicity  of  the  whites.  He  had  much  ease 
of  manner  and  was  a  master  of  repartee. 
I  recall  his  saying  that  if  you  have  got  to 


AMERICAN  HORSE  175 

wear  golden  slippers  to  enter  the  white 
man's  heaven  no  Indian  will  ever  get  there, 
as  the  whites  have  got  the  Black  Hills  and 
with  them  all  the  gold. 

It  was  during  the  last  struggle  of  his 
people,  at  the  time  of  the  Messiah  craze  in 
1890-1891,  that  he  demonstrated  as  never 
before  the  real  greatness  of  the  man. 
While  many  of  his  friends  were  carried  away 
by  the  new  thought,  he  held  aloof  from  it 
and  cautioned  his  band  to  do  the  same. 
When  it  developed  into  an  extensive  up 
heaval  among  the  nations  he  took  his  posi 
tive  stand  against  it. 

Presently  all  Indians  who  did  not  dance 
the  Ghost  Dance  were  ordered  to  come  into 
camp  at  Pine  Ridge  agency.  American 
Horse  was  the  first  to  bring  in  his  people. 
I  was  there  at  the  time  and  talked  with  him 
daily.  When  Little  was  arrested,  it  had 
been  agreed  among  the  disaffected  to  have 
him  resist,  which  meant  that  he  would  be 
roughly  handled.  This  was  to  be  their 
excuse  to  attack  the  Indian  police,  which 


176  INDIAN  HEROES 

would  probably  lead  to  a  general  massacre 
or  outbreak.  I  know  that  this  desperate 
move  was  opposed  from  the  beginning  by 
American  Horse,  and  it  was  believed  that 
his  life  was  threatened. 

On  the  day  of  the  "Big  Issue",  when 
thousands  of  Indians  were  gathered  at  the 
agency,  this  man  Little,  who  had  been  in 
hiding,  walked  boldly  among  them.  Of 
course  the  police  would  arrest  him  at  sight, 
and  he  was  led  toward  the  guardhouse.  He 
struggled  with  them,  but  was  overpowered. 
A  crowd  of  warriors  rushed  to  his  rescue, 
and  there  was  confusion  and  a  general 
shout  of  "Hurry  up  with  them!  Kill 
them  all!"  I  saw  American  Horse  walk 
out  of  the  agent's  office  and  calmly  face  the 
excited  mob. 

"What  are  you  going  to  do?"  he  asked. 
"Stop,  men,  stop  and  think  before  you  act ! 
Will  you  murder  your  children,  your  women, 
yes,  destroy  your  nation  to-day?"  He 
stood  before  them  like  a  statue  and  the  men 
who  held  the  two  policemen  helpless  paused 


AMERICAN  HORSE  177 

for  an  instant.  He  went  on:  "You  are 
brave  to-day  because  you  outnumber  the 
white  men,  but  what  will  you  do  to-morrow  ? 
There  are  railroads  on  all  sides  of  you.  The 
soldiers  will  pour  in  from  every  direction  by 
thousands  and  surround  you.  You  have 
little  food  or  ammunition.  It  will  be  the 
end  of  your  people.  Stop,  I  say,  stop 
now !" 

Jack  Red  Cloud,  son  of  the  old  chief, 
rushed  up  to  him  and  thrust  a  revolver 
almost  in  his  face.  "It  is  you  and  men  like 
you,"  he  shouted,  "who  have  reduced  our 
race  to  slavery  and  starvation  ! "  American 
Horse  did  not  flinch  but  deliberately  re- 
entered  the  office,  followed  by  Jack  still 
flourishing  the  pistol.  But  his  timely  ap 
pearance  and  eloquence  had  saved  the  day. 
Others  of  the  police  force  had  time  to  reach 
the  spot,  and  with  a  large  crowd  of  friendly 
Indians  had  taken  command  of  the  situation. 

When  I  went  into  the  office  I  found  him 
alone  but  apparently  quite  calm.  "Where 
are  the  agent  and  the  clerks?"  I  asked. 


178  INDIAN  HEROES 

"They  fled  by  the  back  door,"  he  replied, 
smiling.  "I  think  they  are  in  the  cellar. 
These  fools  outside  had  almost  caught  us 
asleep,  but  I  think  it  is  over  now." 

American  Horse  was  one  of  the  earliest 
advocates  of  education  for  the  Indian,  and 
his  son  Samuel  and  nephew  Robert  were 
among  the  first  students  at  Carlisle.  I 
think  one  or  two  of  his  daughters  were  the 
handsomest  Indian  girls  of  full  blood  that 
I  ever  saw.  His  record  as  a  councilor  of 
his  people  and  his  policy  in  the  new  situa 
tion  that  confronted  them  was  manly  and 
consistent. 


DULL  KNIFE 

THE  life  of  Dull  Knife,  the  Cheyenne, 
is  a  true  hero  tale.     Simple,  child 
like  yet  manful,  and  devoid  of  self 
ish  aims,  or  love  of  gain,  he  is  a  pattern  for 
heroes  of  any  race. 

Dull  Knife  was  a  chief  of  the  old  school. 
Among  all  the  Indians  of  the  plains, 
nothing  counts  save  proven  worth.  A 
man's  caliber  is  measured  by  his  cour 
age,  unselfishness  and  intelligence.  Many 
writers  confuse  history  with  fiction,  but 
in  Indian  history  their  women  and  old 
men  and  even  children  witness  the  main 
events,  and  not  being  absorbed  in  daily 
papers  and  magazines,  these  events  are 
rehearsed  over  and  over  with  few  vari 
ations.  Though  orally  preserved,  their  ac 
counts  are  therefore  accurate.  But  they 
have  seldom  been  willing  to  give  reliable 

179 


180  INDIAN  HEROES 

information  to  strangers,  especially  when 
asked  and  paid  for. 

Racial  prejudice  naturally  enters  into 
the  account  of  a  man's  life  by  enemy 
writers,  while  one  is  likely  to  favor  his  own 
race.  I  am  conscious  that  many  readers 
may  think  that  I  have  idealized  the  In 
dian.  Therefore  I  will  confess  now  that 
we  have  too  many  weak  and  unprincipled 
men  among  us.  When  I  speak  of  the 
Indian  hero,  I  do  not  forget  the  mongrel 
in  spirit,  false  to  the  ideals  of  his  people. 
Our  trustfulness  has  been  our  weakness, 
and  when  the  vices  of  civilization  were 
added  to  our  own,  we  fell  heavily. 

It  is  said  that  Dull  Knife  as  a  boy  was 
resourceful  and  self-reliant.  He  was  only 
nine  years  old  when  his  family  was  sep 
arated  from  the  rest  of  the  tribe  while  on  a 
buffalo  hunt.  His  father  was  away  and 
his  mother  busy,  and  he  was  playing  with 
his  little  sister  on  the  banks  of  a  stream, 
when  a  large  herd  of  buffalo  swept  down 
upon  them  on  a  stampede  for  water.  His 


DULL  KNIFE  181 

mother  climbed  a  tree,  but  the  little  boy 
led  his  sister  into  an  old  beaver  house 
whose  entrance  was  above  water,  and 
here  they  remained  in  shelter  until  the 
buffalo  passed  and  they  were  found  by 
their  distracted  parents. 

Dull  Knife  was  quite  a  youth  when  his 
tribe  was  caught  one  winter  in  a  region 
devoid  of  game,  and  threatened  with  star 
vation.  The  situation  was  made  worse  by 
heavy  storms,  but  he  secured  help  and  led 
a  relief  party  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles, 
carrying  bales  of  dried  buffalo  meat  on 
pack  horses. 

Another  exploit  that  made  him  dear  to 
his  people  occurred  in  battle,  when  his 
brother-in-law  was  severely  wounded  and 
left  lying  where  no  one  on  either  side  dared 
to  approach  him.  As  soon  as  Dull  Knife 
heard  of  it  he  got  on  a  fresh  horse,  and 
made  so  daring  a  charge  that  others  joined 
him ;  thus  under  cover  of  their  fire  he  res 
cued  his  brother-in-law,  and  in  so  doing 
was  wounded  twice. 


182  INDIAN  HEROES 

The  Sioux  knew  him  as  a  man  of  high 
type,  perhaps  not  so  brilliant  as  Roman 
Nose  and  Two  Moon,  but  surpassing  both 
in  honesty  and  simplicity,  as  well  as  in 
his  war  record.  (Two  Moon,  in  fact,  was 
never  a  leader  of  his  people,  and  became 
distinguished  only  in  wars  with  the  whites 
during  the  period  of  revolt.)  A  story  is 
told  of  an  ancestor  of  the  same  name  that 
illustrates  well  the  spirit  of  the  age. 

It  was  the  custom  in  those  days  for  the 
older  men  to  walk  ahead  of  the  moving 
caravan  and  decide  upon  all  halts  and 
camping  places.  One  da<y  the  councilors 
came  to  a  grove  of  wild  cherries  covered 
with  ripe  fruit,  and  they  stopped  at  once. 
Suddenly  a  grizzly  charged  from  the 
thicket.  The  men  yelped  and  hooted,  but 
the  bear  was  not  to  be  bluffed.  He 
knocked  down  the  first  warrior  who  dared 
to  face  him  and  dragged  his  victim  into  the 
bushes. 

The  whole  caravan  was  in  the  wildest 
excitement.  Several  of  the  swiftest-footed 


DULL  KNIFE  183 

warriors  charged  the  bear,  to  bring  him 
out  into  the  open,  while  the  women  and 
dogs  made  all  the  noise  they  could.  The 
bear  accepted  the  challenge,  and  as  he  did 
so,  the  man  whom  they  had  supposed  dead 
came  running  from  the  opposite  end  of  the 
thicket.  The  Indians  were  delighted,  and 
especially  so  when  in  the  midst  of  their 
cheers,  the  man  stopped  running  for  his 
life  and  began  to  sing  a  Brave  Heart  song 
as  he  approached  the  grove  with  his  butcher 
knife  in  his  hand.  He  would  dare  his 
enemy  again ! 

The  grizzly  met  him  with  a  tremendous 
rush,  and  they  went  down  together.  In 
stantly  the  bear  began  to  utter  cries  of 
distress,  and  at  the  same  time  the  knife 
flashed,  and  he  rolled  over  dead.  The 
warrior  was  too  quick  for  the  animal;  he 
first  bit  his  sensitive  nose  to  distract  his 
attention,  and  then  used  the  knife  to  stab 
him  to  the  heart.  He  fought  many  bat 
tles  with  knives  thereafter  and  claimed 
that  the  spirit  of  the  bear  gave  him  sue- 


184  INDIAN  HEROES 

cess.  On  one  occasion,  however,  the  enemy 
had  a  strong  buffalo-hide  shield  which  the 
Cheyenne  bear  fighter  could  not  pierce 
through,  and  he  was  wounded;  neverthe 
less  he  managed  to  dispatch  his  foe.  It 
was  from  this  incident  that  he  received  the 
name  of  Dull  Knife,  which  was  handed  down 
to  his  descendant.  £ 

As  is  well  known,  the  Northern  Chey- 
ennes  uncompromisingly  supported  the 
Sioux  in  their  desperate  defense  of  the 
Black  Hills  and  Big  Horn  country.  Why 
not?  It  was  their  last  buffalo  region  — 
their  subsistence.  It  was  what  our  wheat 
fields  are  to  a  civilized  nation. 

About  the  year  1875,  a  propaganda  was 
started  for  confining  all  the  Indians  upon 
reservations,  where  they  would  be  prac 
tically  interned  or  imprisoned,  regardless 
of  their  possessions  and  rights.  The 
men  who  were  the  strongest  advocates  of 
the  scheme  generally  wanted  the  Indians' 
property  —  the  one  main  cause  back  of  all 
Indian  wars.  From  the  warlike  Apaches 


DULL  KNIFE  185 

to  the  peaceful  Nez  Perces,  all  the  tribes 
of  the  plains  were  hunted  from  place  to 
place;  then  the  government  resorted  to 
peace  negotiations,  but  always  with  an 
army  at  hand  to  coerce.  Once  disarmed 
and  helpless,  they  were  to  be  taken  under 
military  guard  to  the  Indian  Territory. 

A  few  resisted,  and  declared  they  would 
fight  to  the  death  rather  than  go.  Among 
these  were  the  Sioux,  but  nearly  all  the 
smaller  tribe's  were  deported  against  their 
wishes.  Of  course  those  Indians  who 
came  from  a  mountainous  and  cold  country 
suffered  severely.  The  moist  heat  and 
malaria  decimated  the  exiles.  Chief  Jo 
seph  of  the  Nez  Perces  and  Chief  Stand 
ing  Bear  of  the  Poncas  appealed  to  the 
people  of  the  United  States,  and  finally 
succeeded  in  having  their  bands  or  the 
remnant  of  them  returned  to  their  own 
part  of  the  country.  Dull  Knife  was  not 
successful  in  his  plea,  and  the  story  of  his 
flight  is  one  of  poignant  interest. 

He  was  regarded  by  the  authorities  as 


186  INDIAN  HEROES 

a  dangerous  man,  and  with  his  depleted 
band  was  taken  to  the  Indian  Territory 
without  his  consent  in  1876.  When  he 
realized  that  his  people  were  dying  like 
sheep,  he  was  deeply  moved.  He  called 
them  together.  Every  man  and  woman 
declared  that  they  would  rather  die  in 
their  own  country  than  stay  there  longer, 
and  they  resolved  to  flee  to  their  northern 
homes. 

Here  again  was  displayed  the  genius  of 
these  people.  From  the  Indian  Territory 
to  Dakota  is  no  short  dash  for  freedom. 
They  knew  what  they  were  facing.  Their 
line  of  flight  lay  through  a  settled  coun 
try  and  they  would  be  closely  pursued  by 
the  army.  No  sooner  had  they  started 
than  the  telegraph  wires  sang  one  song : 
"The  panther  of  the  Cheyennes  is  at  large. 
Not  a  child  or  a  woman  in  Kansas  or 
Nebraska  is  safe."  Yet  they  evaded  all 
the  pursuing  and  intercepting  troops  and 
reached  their  native  soil.  The  strain  was 
terrible,  the  hardship  great,  and  Dull 


DULL  KNIFE  187 

Knife,  like  Joseph,  was  remarkable  for  his 
self-restraint  in  sparing  those  who  came 
within  his  power  on  the  way. 

But  fate  was  against  him,  for  there 
were  those  looking  for  blood  money  who 
betrayed  him  when  he  thought  he  was 
among  friends.  His  people  were  tired  out 
and  famished  when  they  were  surrounded 
and  taken  to  Fort  Robinson.  There  the 
men  were  put  in  prison,  and  their  wives 
guarded  in  camp.  They  were  allowed  to 
visit  their  men  on  certain  days.  Many 
of  them  had  lost  everything;  there  were 
but  a  few  who  had  even  one  child  left. 
They  were  heartbroken. 

These  despairing  women  appealed  to 
their  husbands  to  die  fighting:  their  lib 
erty  was  gone,  their  homes  broken  up, 
and  only  slavery  and  gradual  extinction  in 
sight.  At  last  Dull  Knife  listened.  He 
said  :  "I  have  lived  my  life.  I  am  ready." 
The  others  agreed.  "If  our  women  are 
willing  to  die  with  us,  who  is  there  to  say 
no?  If  we  are  to  do  the  deeds  of  men,  it 


188  INDIAN  HEROES 

rests   with   you   women   to   bring   us   our 
weapons." 

As  they  had  been  allowed  to  carry  moc 
casins  and  other  things  to  the  men,  so  they 
contrived  to  take  in  some  guns  and  knives 
under  this  disguise.  The  plan  was  to  kill 
the  sentinels  and  run  to  the  nearest  nat 
ural  trench,  there  to  make  their  last 
stand.  The  women  and  children  were  to 
join  them.  This  arrangement  was  carried 
out.  Not  every  brave  had  a  gun,  but  all 
had  agreed  to  die  together.  They  fought 
till  their  small  store  of  ammunition  was 
exhausted,  then  exposed  their  broad  chests 
for  a  target,  and  the  mothers  even  held  up 
their  little  ones  to  be  shot.  Thus  died  the 
fighting  Cheyennes  and  their  dauntless 
leader. 


ROMAN  NOSE 

THIS  Cheyenne  war  chief  was  a 
contemporary  of  Dull  Knife.  He 
was  not  so  strong  a  character  as 
the  other,  and  was  inclined  to  be  pompous 
and  boastful;  but  with  all  this  he  was  a 
true  type  of  native  American  in  spirit  and 
bravery. 

While  Dull  Knife  was  noted  in  warfare 
among  Indians,  Roman  Nose  made  his 
record  against  the  whites,  in  defense  of 
territory  embracing  the  Republican  and 
Arickaree  rivers.  He  was  killed  on  the 
latter  river  in  1868,  in  the  celebrated 
battle  with  General  Forsythe. 

Save  Chief  Gall  and  Washakie  in  the 
prime  of  their  manhood,  this  chief  had  no 
peer  in  bodily  perfection  and  masterful 
personality.  No  Greek  or  Roman  gym 
nast  was  ever  a  finer  model  of  physical 

189 


190  INDIAN  HEROES 

beauty  and  power.  He  thrilled  his  men  to 
frenzied  action  when  he  came  upon  the 
field.  It  was  said  of  him  that  he  sacrificed 
more  youths  by  his  personal  influence  in 
battle  than  any  other  leader,  being  very 
reckless  himself  in  grand-stand  charges. 
He  was  killed  needlessly  in  this  manner. 

Roman  Nose  always  rode  an  uncom 
monly  fine,  spirited  horse,  and  with  his 
war  bonnet  and  other  paraphernalia  gave 
a  wonderful  exhibition.  The  Indians  used 
to  say  that  the  soldiers  must  gaze  at  him 
rather  than  aim  at  him,  as  they  so  seldom 
hit  him  even  when  running  the  gantlet 
before  a  firing  line. 

He  did  a  remarkable  thing  once  when  on 
a  one-arrow-to-kill  buffalo  hunt  with  his 
brother-in-law.  His  companion  had  se 
lected  his  animal  and  drew  so  powerfully 
on  his  sinew  bowstring  that  it  broke. 
Roman  Nose  had  killed  his  own  cow  and 
was  whipping  up  close  to  the  other  when 
the  misfortune  occurred.  Both  horses  were 
going  at  full  speed  and  the  arrow  jerked 


ROMAN  NOSE  191 

up  in  the  air.  Roman  Nose  caught  it  and 
shot  the  cow  for  him. 

Another  curious  story  told  of  him  is  to 
the  effect  that  he  had  an  intimate  Sioux 
friend  who  was  courting  a  Cheyenne  girl, 
but  without  success.  As  the  wooing  of 
both  Sioux  and  Cheyennes  was  pretty 
much  all  effected  in  the  night  time,  Roman 
Nose  told  his  friend  to  let  him  do  the 
courting  for  him.  He  arranged  with  the 
young  woman  to  elope  the  next  night  and 
to  spend  the  honeymoon  among  his  Sioux 
friends.  He  then  told  his  friend  what  to 
do.  The  Sioux  followed  instructions  and 
carried  off  the  Cheyenne  maid,  and  not 
until  morning  did  she  discover  her  mis 
take.  It  is  said  she  never  admitted  it, 
and  that  the  two  lived  happily  together 
to  a  good  old  age,  so  perhaps  there  was 
no  mistake  after  all. 

Perhaps  no  other  chief  attacked  more 
emigrants  going  west  on  the  Oregon  Trail 
between  1860  and  1868.  He  once  made 
an  attack  on  a  large  party  of  Mormons, 


192  INDIAN  HEROES 

and  in  this  instance  the  Mormons  had 
time  to  form  a  corral  with  their  wagons 
and  shelter  their  women,  children,  and 
horses.  The  men  stood  outside  and  met 
the  Indians  with  well-aimed  volleys,  but 
they  circled  the  wagons  with  whirlwind 
speed,  and  whenever  a  white  man  fell,  it 
was  the  signal  for  Roman  Nose  to  charge 
and  count  the  "  coup."  The  hat  of  one  of 
the  dead  men  was  off,  and  although  he  had 
heavy  hair  and  beard,  the  top  of  his  head 
was  bald  from  the  forehead  up.  As  cus 
tom  required  such  a  deed  to  be  announced 
on  the  spot,  the  chief  yelled  at  the  top  of 
his  voice : 

"Your  Roman  Nose  has  counted  the 
first  coup  on  the  longest-faced  white  man 
who  was  ever  killed !" 

When  the  Northern  Cheyennes  under 
this  daring  leader  attacked  a  body  of 
scouting  troops  under  the  brilliant  officer 
General  Forsythe,  Roman  Nose  thought 
that  he  had  a  comparatively  easy  task. 
The  first  onset  failed,  and  the  command 


ROMAN  NOSE  193 

entrenched  itself  on  a  little  island.  The 
wily  chief  thought  he  could  stampede 
them  and  urged  on  his  braves  with  the 
declaration  that  the  first  to  reach  the 
island  should  be  entitled  to  wear  a  trailing 
war  bonnet.  Nevertheless  he  was  disap 
pointed,  and  his  men  received  such  a  warm 
reception  that  none  succeeded  in  reaching 
it.  In  order  to  inspire  them  to  desperate 
deeds  he  had  led  them  in  person,  and  with 
him  that  meant  victory  or  death.  Ac 
cording  to  the  army  accounts,  it  was  a 
thrilling  moment,  and  might  well  have 
proved  disastrous  to  the  Forsythe  com 
mand,  whose  leader  was  wounded  and 
helpless.  The  danger  was  acute  until 
Roman  Nose  fell,  and  even  then  his  lieu 
tenants  were  bent  upon  crossing  at  any 
cost,  but  some  of  the  older  chiefs  prevailed 
upon  them  to  withdraw. 

Thus  the  brilliant  war  chief  of  the 
Cheyennes  came  to  his  death.  If  he  had 
lived  until  1876,  Sitting  Bull  would  have 
had  another  bold  ally. 


CHIEF  JOSEPH 

THE  Nez  Perce  tribe  of  Indians,  like 
other  tribes  too  large  to  be  united 
under  one  chief,  was  composed  of 
several  bands,  each  distinct  in  sovereignty. 
It  was  a  loose  confederacy.     Joseph  and 
his  people  occupied  the  Imnaha  or  Grande 
Ronde  valley  in  Oregon,  which  was  con 
sidered  perhaps  the  finest  land  in  that  part 
of  the  country. 

When  the  last  treaty  was  entered  into 
by  some  of  the  bands  of  the  Nez  Perce, 
Joseph's  band  was  at  Lapwai,  Idaho,  and 
had  nothing  to  do  with  the  agreement. 
The  elder  chief  in  dying  had  counseled 
his  son,  then  not  more  than  twenty-two  or 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  never  to  part 
with  their  home,  assuring  him  that  he  had 
signed  no  papers.  These  peaceful  non- 
treaty  Indians  did  not  even  know  what 

194 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  195 

land  had  been  ceded  until  the  agent  read 
them  the  government  order  to  leave.  Of 
course  they  refused.  You  and  I  would 
have  done  the  same. 

When  the  agent  failed  to  move  them, 
he  and  the  would-be  settlers  called  upon 
the  army  to  force  them  to  be  good,  namely, 
without  a  murmur  to  leave  their  pleasant 
inheritance  in  the  hands  of  a  crowd  of 
greedy  grafters.  General  O.  O.  Howard, 
the  Christian  soldier,  was  sent  to  do  the 
work. 

He  had  a  long  council  with  Joseph  and 
his  leading  men,  telling  them  they  must 
obey  the  order  or  be  driven  out  by  force. 
We  may  be  sure  that  he  presented  this 
hard  alternative  reluctantly.  Joseph  was 
a  mere  youth  without  experience  in  war 
or  public  affairs.  He  had  been  well  brought 
up  in  obedience  to  parental  wisdom  and 
with  his  brother  Ollicut  had  attended 
Missionary  Spaulding's  school  where  they 
had  listened  to  the  story  of  Christ  and 
his  religion  of  brotherhood.  He  now  re- 


196  INDIAN  HEROES 

plied  in  his  simple  way  that  neither  he  nor 
his  father  had  ever  made  any  treaty  dis 
posing  of  their  country,  that  no  other 
band  of  the  Nez  Perces  was  authorized  to 
speak  for  them,  and  it  would  seem  a  mighty 
injustice  and  unkindness  to  dispossess  a 
friendly  band. 

General  Howard  told  them  in  effect 
that  they  had  no  rights,  no  voice  in  the 
matter :  they  had  only  to  obey.  Although 
some  of  the  lesser  chiefs  counseled  revolt 
then  and  there,  Joseph  maintained  his 
self-control,  seeking  to  calm  his  people, 
and  still  groping  for  a  peaceful  settlement 
of  their  difficulties.  He  finally  asked  for 
thirty  days'  time  in  which  to  find  and  dis 
pose  of  their  stock,  and  this  was  granted. 

Joseph  steadfastly  held  his  immediate 
followers  to  their  promise,  but  the  land- 
grabbers  were  impatient,  and  did  every 
thing  in  their  power  to  bring  about  an  im 
mediate  crisis  so  as  to  hasten  the  eviction 
of  the  Indians.  Depredations  were  com 
mitted,  and  finally  the  Indians,  or  some  of 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  197 

them,  retaliated,  which  was  just  what  their 
enemies  had  been  looking  for.  There  might 
be  a  score  of  white  men  murdered  among 
themselves  on  the  frontier  and  no  out 
sider  would  ever  hear  about  it,  but  if  one 
were  injured  by  an  Indian  —  "Down  with 
the  bloodthirsty  savages!"  was  the  cry. 

Joseph  told  me  himself  that  during  all  of 
those  thirty  days  a  tremendous  pressure 
was  brought  upon  him  by  his  own  people 
to  resist  the  government  order.  "The 
worst  of  it  was,"  said  he,  "that  everything 
they  said  was  true;  besides"  —  he  paused 
for  a  moment  —  "it  seemed  very  soon  for 
me  to  forget  my  father's  dying  words,  'Do 
not  give  up  our  home!"  Knowing  as  I 
do  just  what  this  would  mean  to  an  Indian, 
I  felt  for  him  deeply. 

Among  the  opposition  leaders  were  Too- 
hul-hul-sote,  White  Bird,  and  Looking 
Glass,  all  of  them  strong  men  and  re 
spected  by  the  Indians;  while  on  the 
other  side  were  men  built  up  by  emissaries 
of  the  government  for  their  own  purposes 


198  INDIAN  HEROES 

and  advertised  as  "great  friendly  chiefs." 
As  a  rule  such  men  are  unworthy,  and  this 
is  so  well  known  to  the  Indians  that  it 
makes  them  distrustful  of  the  government's 
sincerity  at  the  start.  Moreover,  while 
Indians  unqualifiedly  say  what  they  mean, 
the  whites  have  a  hundred  ways  of  saying 
what  they  do  not  mean. 

The  center  of  the  storm  was  this  simple 
young  man,  who  so  far  as  I  can  learn  had 
never  been  upon  the  warpath,  and  he 
stood  firm  for  peace  and  obedience.  As 
for  his  father's  sacred  dying  charge,  he 
told  himself  that  he  would  not  sign  any 
papers,  he  would  not  go  of  his  free  will 
but  from  compulsion,  and  this  was  his 
excuse. 

However,  the  whites  were  unduly  im 
patient  to  clear  the  coveted  valley,  and 
by  their  insolence  they  aggravated  to  the 
danger  point  an  already  strained  situation. 
The  murder  of  an  Indian  was  the  climax, 
and  this  happened  in  the  absence  of  the 
young  chief.  He  returned  to  find  the 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  199 

leaders  determined  to  die  fighting.  The 
nature  of  the  country  was  in  their  favor 
and  at  least  they  could  give  the  army  a 
chase,  but  how  long  they  could  hold  out 
they  did  not  know.  Even  Joseph's  younger 
brother  Ollicut  was  won  over.  There  was 
nothing  for  him  to  do  but  fight ;  and  then 
and  there  began  the  peaceful  Joseph's 
career  as  a  general  of  unsurpassed  strategy 
in  conducting  one  of  the  most  masterly 
retreats  in  history. 

This  is  not  my  judgment,  but  the  un 
biased  opinion  of  men  whose  knowledge 
and  experience  fit  them  to  render  it.  Bear 
in  mind  that  these  people  were  not  scalp 
hunters  like  the  Sioux,  Cheyennes,  and 
Utes,  but  peaceful  hunters  and  fishermen. 
The  first  council  of  war  was  a  strange 
business  to  Joseph.  He  had  only  this  to 
say  to  his  people : 

"I  have  tried  to  save  you  from  suffering 
and  sorrow.  Resistance  means  all  of  that. 
We  are  few.  They  are  many.  You  can 
see  all  we  have  at  a  glance.  They  have 


200  INDIAN  HEROES 

food  and  ammunition  in  abundance.  We 
must  suffer  great  hardship  and  loss." 
After  this  speech,  he  quietly  began  his 
plans  for  the  defense. 

;  The  main  plan  of  campaign  was  to  en 
gineer  a  successful  retreat  into  Montana 
and  there  form  a  junction  with  the  hostile 
Sioux  and  Cheyennes  under  Sitting  Bull. 
There  was  a  relay  scouting  system,  one 
set  of  scouts  leaving  the  main  body  at 
evening  and  the  second  a  little  before  day 
break,  passing  the  first  set  on  some  com 
manding  hill  top.  There  were  also  decoy 
scouts  set  to  trap  Indian  scouts  of  the 
army.  I  notice  that  General  Howard 
charges  his  Crow  scouts  with  being  un 
faithful. 

Their  greatest  difficulty  was  in  meeting 
an  unencumbered  army,  while  carrying 
their  women,  children,  and  old  men,  with 
supplies  and  such  household  effects  as  were 
absolutely  necessary.  Joseph  formed  an 
auxiliary  corps  that  was  to  effect  a  retreat 
at  each  engagement,  upon  a  definite  plan 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  201 

and  in  definite  order,  while  the  unencum 
bered  women  were  made  into  an  ambu 
lance  corps  to  take  care  of  the  wounded. 

It  was  decided  that  the  main  rear  guard 
should  meet  General  Howard's  command 
in  White  Bird  Canyon,  and  every  detail 
was  planned  in  advance,  yet  left  flexible 
according  to  Indian  custom,  giving  each 
leader  freedom  to  act  according  to  cir 
cumstances.  Perhaps  no  better  ambush 
was  ever  planned  than  the  ope  Chief  Joseph 
set  for  the  shrewd  and  experienced  General 
Howard.  He  expected  to  be  hotly  pur 
sued,  but  he  calculated  that  the  pursuing 
force  would  consist  of  not  more  than 
two  hundred  and  fifty  soldiers.  He  pre 
pared  false  trails  to  mislead  them  into 
thinking  that  he  was  about  to  cross  or  had 
crossed  the  Salmon  River,  which  he  had 
no  thought  of  doing  at  that  time.  Some 
of  the  tents  were  pitched  in  plain  sight, 
while  the  women  and  children  were  hidden 
on  the  inaccessible  ridges,  and  the  men 
concealed  in  the  canyon  ready  to  fire  upon 


202  INDIAN  HEROES 

the  soldiers  with  deadly  effect  with  scarcely 
any  danger  to  themselves.  They  could 
even  roll  rocks  upon  them. 

In  a  very  few  minutes  the  troops  had 
learned  a  lesson.  The  soldiers  showed 
some  fight,  but  a  large  body  of  frontiers 
men  who  accompanied  them  were  soon  in 
disorder.  The  warriors  chased  them  nearly 
ten  miles,  securing  rifles  and  much  am 
munition,  and  killing  and  wounding  many. 

The  Nez  Perces  next  crossed  the  river, 
made  a  detour  and  recrossed  it  at  another 
point,  then  took  their  way  eastward.  All 
this  was  by  way  of  delaying  pursuit.  Jo 
seph  told  me  that  he  estimated  it  would 
take  six  or  seven  days  to  get  a  sufficient 
force  in  the  field  to  take  up  their  trail, 
and  the  correctness  of  his  reasoning  is  ap 
parent  from  the  facts  as  detailed  in  Gen 
eral  Howard's  book.  He  tells  us  that  he 
waited  six  days  for  the  arrival  of  men  from 
various  forts  in  his  department,  then  fol 
lowed  Joseph  with  six  hundred  soldiers, 
beside  a  large  number  of  citizen  volunteers 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  203 

and  his  Indian  scouts.  As  it  was  evident 
they  had  a  long  chase  over  trackless  wil 
derness  in  prospect,  he  discarded  his  supply 
wagons  and  took  pack  mules  instead.  But 
by  this  time  the  Indians  had  a  good  start. 

Meanwhile  General  Howard  had  sent  a 
dispatch  to  Colonel  Gibbons,  with  orders 
to  head  Joseph  off,  which  he  undertook  to 
do  at  the  Montana  end  of  the  Lolo  Trail. 
The  wily  commander  had  no  knowledge 
of  this  move,  but  he  was  not  to  be  sur 
prised.  He  was  too  brainy  for  his  pur 
suers,  whom  he  constantly  outwitted,  and 
only  gave  battle  when  he  was  ready. 
There  at  the  Big  Hole  Pass  he  met  Colonel 
Gibbons'  fresh  troops  and  pressed  them 
close.  He  sent  a  party  under  his  brother 
Ollicut  to  harass  Gibbons'  rear  and  rout 
the  pack  mules,  thus  throwing  him  on  the 
defensive  and  causing  him  to  send  for  help, 
while  Joseph  continued  his  masterly  re 
treat  toward  the  Yellowstone  Park,  then 
a  wilderness.  However,  this  was  but  little 
advantage  to  him,  since  he  must  neces- 


204  INDIAN  HEROES 

sarily  leave  a  broad  trail,  and  the  army  was 
augmenting  its  columns  day  by  day  with 
celebrated  scouts,  both  white  and  Indian. 
The  two  commands  came  together,  and 
although  General  Howard  says  their  horses 
were  by  this  time  worn  out,  and  by  in 
ference  the  men  as  well,  they  persisted  on 
the  trail  of  a  party  encumbered  by  women 
and  children,  the  old,  sick,  and  wounded. 

It  was  decided  to  send  a  detachment  of 
cavalry  under  Bacon,  to  Tash  Pass,  the 
gateway  of  the  National  Park,  which 
Joseph  would  have  to  pass,  with  orders  to 
detain  him  there  until  the  rest  could  come 
up  with  them.  Here  is  what  General 
Howard  says  of  the  affair.  "Bacon  got 
into  position  soon  enough  but  he  did  not 
have  the  heart  to  fight  the  Indians  on 
account  of  their  number."  Meanwhile  an 
other  incident  had  occurred.  Right  under 
the  eyes  of  the  chosen  scouts  and  vigilant 
sentinels,  Joseph's  warriors  fired  upon  the 
army  camp  at  night  and  ran  off  their  mules. 
He  went  straight  on  toward  the  park, 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  205 

where  Lieutenant  Bacon  let  him  get  by 
and  pass  through  the  narrow  gateway 
without  firing  a  shot. 

Here  again  it  was  demonstrated  that 
General  Howard  could  not  depend  upon 
the  volunteers,  many  of  whom  had  joined 
him  in  the  chase,  and  were  going  to  show 
the  soldiers  how  to  fight  Indians.  In  this 
night  attack  at  Camas  Meadow,  they 
were  demoralized,  and  while  crossing  the 
river  next  day  many  lost  their  guns  in  the 
water,  whereupon  all  packed  up  and  went 
home,  leaving  the  army  to  be  guided  by 
the  Indian  scouts. 

However,  this  succession  of  defeats  did 
not  discourage  General  Howard,  who  kept 
on  with  as  many  of  his  men  as  were  able 
to  carry  a  gun,  meanwhile  sending  dis 
patches  to  all  the  frontier  posts  with  or 
ders  to  intercept  Joseph  if  possible.  Stur- 
gis  tried  to  stop  him  as  the  Indians  entered 
the  Park,  but  they  did  not  meet  until  he 
was  about  to  come  out,  when  there  was 
another  fight,  with  Joseph  again  victorious. 


206  INDIAN  HEROES 

General  Howard  came  upon  the  battle 
field  soon  afterward  and  saw  that  the 
Indians  were  off  again,  and  from  here  he 
sent  fresh  messages  to  General  Miles,  ask 
ing  for  reinforcements. 

Joseph  had  now  turned  northeastward 
toward  the  Upper  Missouri.  He  told  me 
that  when  he  got  into  that  part  of  the 
country  he  knew  he  was  very  near  the 
Canadian  line  and  could  not  be  far  from 
Sitting  Bull,  with  whom  he  desired  to  form 
an  alliance.  He  also  believed  that  he  had 
cleared  all  the  forts.  Therefore  he  went 
more  slowly  and  tried  to  give  his  people 
some  rest.  Some  of  their  best  men  had 
been  killed  or  wounded  in  battle,  and  the 
wounded  were  a  great  burden  to  him; 
nevertheless  they  were  carried  and  tended 
patiently  all  during  this  wonderful  flight. 
Not  one  was  ever  left  behind. 

It  is  the  general  belief  that  Indians  are 
cruel  and  revengeful,  and  surely  these 
people  had  reason  to  hate  the  race  who 
had  driven  them  from  their  homes  if  any 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  207 

people  ever  had.  Yet  it  is  a  fact  that 
when  Joseph  met  visitors  and  travelers  in 
the  Park,  some  of  whom  were  women,  he 
allowed  them  to  pass  unharmed,  and  in 
at  least  one  instance  let  them  have  horses. 
He  told  me  that  he  gave  strict  orders  to 
his  men  not  to  kill  any  women  or  children. 
He  wished  to  meet  his  adversaries  accord 
ing  to  their  own  standards  of  warfare,  but 
he  afterward  learned  that  in  spite  of  pro 
fessions  of  humanity,  white  soldiers  have 
not  seldom  been  known  to  kill  women  and 
children  indiscriminately. 

Another  remarkable  thing  about  this 
noted  retreat  is  that  Joseph's  people  stood 
behind  him  to  a  man,  and  even  the  women 
and  little  boys  did  each  his  part.  The 
latter  were  used  as  scouts  in  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  camp. 

The  Bittersweet  valley,  which  they  had 
now  entered,  was  full  of  game,  and  the 
Indians  hunted  for  food,  while  resting  their 
worn-out  ponies.  One  morning  they  had 
a  council  to  which  Joseph  rode  over  bare- 


208  INDIAN  HEROES 

back,  as  they  had  camped  in  two  divisions 
a  little  apart.  His  fifteen-year-old  daugh 
ter  went  with  him.  They  discussed  send 
ing  runners  to  Sitting  Bull  to  ascertain  his 
exact  whereabouts  and  whether  it  would 
be  agreeable  to  him  to  join  forces  with  the 
Nez  Perces.  In  the  midst  of  the  council, 
a  force  of  United  States  cavalry  charged 
down  the  hill  between  the  two  camps. 
This  once  Joseph  was  surprised.  He  had 
seen  no  trace  of  the  soldiers  and  had  some 
what  relaxed  his  vigilance. 

He  told  his  little  daughter  to  stay  where 
she  was,  and  himself  cut  right  through  the 
cavalry  and  rode  up  to  his  own  teepee, 
where  his  wife  met  him  at  the  door  with 
his  rifle,  crying:  "Here  is  your  gun,  hus 
band!"  The  warriors  quickly  gathered 
and  pressed  the  soldiers  so  hard  that  they 
had  to  withdraw.  Meanwhile  one  set  of 
the  people  fled  while  Joseph's  own  band 
intrenched  themselves  in  a  very  favorable 
position  from  which  they  could  not  easily 
be  dislodged. 


CHIEF  JOSEPH  209 

General  Miles  had  received  and  acted 
on  General  Howard's  message,  and  he  now 
sent  one  of  his  officers  with  some  Indian 
scouts  into  Joseph's  camp  to  negotiate 
with  the  chief.  Meantime  Howard  and 
Sturgis  came  up  with  the  encampment, 
and  Howard  had  with  him  two  friendly 
Nez  Perce  scouts  who  were  directed  to 
talk  to  Joseph  in  his  own  language.  He 
decided  that  there  was  nothing  to  do  but 
surrender. 

He  had  believed  that  his  escape  was  all 
but  secure :  then  at  the  last  moment  he 
was  surprised  and  caught  at  a  disadvan 
tage.  His  army  was  shattered;  he  had 
lost  most  of  the  leaders  in  these  various 
fights;  his  people,  including  children, 
women,  and  the  wounded,  had  traveled 
thirteen  hundred  miles  in  about  fifty  days, 
and  he  himself  a  young  man  who  had  never 
before  taken  any  important  responsibility ! 
Even  now  he  was  not  actually  conquered. 
He  was  well  intrenched ;  his  people  were 
willing  to  die  fighting;  but  the  army  of 


210  INDIAN  HEROES 

the  United  States  offered  peace  and  he 
agreed,  as  he  said,  out  of  pity  for  his  suf 
fering  people.  Some  of  his  warriors  still 
refused  to  surrender  and  slipped  out  of  the 
camp  at  night  and  through  the  lines. 
Joseph  had,  as  he  told  me,  between  three 
and  four  hundred  fighting  men  in  the  be 
ginning,  which  means  over  one  thousand 
persons,  and  of  these  several  hundred  sur 
rendered  with  him. 

His  own  story  of  the  conditions  he 
made  was  prepared  by  himself  with  my 
help  in  1897,  when  he  came  to  Washing 
ton  to  present  his  grievances.  I  sat  up 
with  him  nearly  all  of  one  night;  and  I 
may  add  here  that  we  took  the  document 
to  General  Miles  who  was  then  stationed 
in  Washington,  before  presenting  it  to  the 
Department.  The  General  said  that  every 
word  of  it  was  true.  j 

In  the  first  place,  his  people  were  to  be 
kept  at  Fort  Keogh,  Montana,  over  the 
winter  and  then  returned  to  their  reser 
vation.  Instead  they  were  taken  to  Fort 


CHIEF  JOSEPH 

Leaven  worth,  Kansas,  and  placed  between 
a  lagoon  and  the  Missouri  River,  where 
the  sanitary  conditions  made  havoc  with 
them.  Those  who  did  not  die  were  then 
taken  to  the  Indian  Territory,  where  the 
health  situation  was  even  worse.  Joseph 
appealed  to  the  government  again  and 
again,  and  at  last  by  the  help  of  Bishops 
Whipple  and  Hare  he  was  moved  to  the 
Colville  reservation  in  Washington.  Here 
the  land  was  very  poor,  unlike  their  own 
fertile  valley.  General  Miles  said  to  the 
chief  that  he  had  recommended  and  urged 
that  their  agreement  be  kept,  but  the 
politicians  and  the  people  who  occupied 
the  Indians'  land  declared  they  were  afraid 
if  he  returned  he  would  break  out  again 
and  murder  innocent  white  settlers  !  What 
irony ! 

The  great  Chief  Joseph  died  broken- 
spirited  and  broken-hearted.  He  did 
not  hate  the  whites,  for  there  was  noth 
ing  small  about  him,  and  when  he  laid 
down  his  weapons  he  would  not  fight  on 


INDIAN  HEROES 

with  his  mind.  But  he  was  profoundly 
disappointed  in  the  claims  of  a  Christian 
civilization.  I  call  him  great  because  he 
was  simple  and  honest.  Without  education 
or  special  training  he  demonstrated  his 
ability  to  lead  and  to  fight  when  justice 
demanded.  He  outgeneraled  the  best  and 
most  experienced  commanders  in  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  although  their  troops 
were  well  provisioned,  well  armed,  and 
above  all  unencumbered.  He  was  great, 
finally,  because  he  never  boasted  of  his 
remarkable  feat.  I  am  proud  of  him,  be 
cause  he  was  a  true  American. 


LITTLE  WOLF 

IF  any  people  ever  fought  for  liberty 
and   justice,   it   was   the   Cheyennes. 
If  any  ever  demonstrated  their  phys 
ical   and   moral   courage  beyond   cavil,  it 
was  this  race  of  purely  American  heroes, 
among  whom  Little  Wolf  was  a  leader. 

I  knew  the  chief  personally  very  well. 
As  a  young  doctor,  I  was  sent  to  the  Pine 
Ridge  agency  in  1890,  as  government 
physician  to  the  Sioux  and  the  Northern 
Cheyennes.  While  I  heard  from  his  own 
lips  of  that  gallant  dash  of  his  people  from 
their  southern  exile  to  their  northern  home, 
I  prefer  that  Americans  should  read  of  it 
in  Doctor  George  Bird  Grinnell's  book, 
"The  Fighting  Cheyennes."  No  account 
could  be  clearer  or  simpler;  and  then  too, 
the  author  cannot  be  charged  with  a  bias 
in  favor  of  his  own  race. 

213 


INDIAN  HEROES 

At  the  time  that  I  knew  him,  Little 
Wolf  was  a  handsome  man,  with  the 
native  dignity  and  gentleness,  musical  voice, 
and  pleasant  address  of  so  many  brave 
leaders  of  his  people.  One  day  when  he 
was  dining  with  us  at  our  home  on  the 
reservation,  I  asked  him,  as  I  had  a  habit 
of  doing,  for  some  reminiscences  of  his 
early  life.  He  was  rather  reluctant  to 
speak,  but  a  friend  who  was  present  con 
tributed  the  following : 

"Perhaps  I  can  tell  you  why  it  is  that 
he  has  been  a  lucky  man  all  his  life. 
When  quite  a  small  boy,  the  tribe  was  one 
winter  in  want  of  food,  and  his  good  mother 
had  saved  a  small  piece  of  buffalo  meat, 
which  she  solemnly  brought  forth  and 
placed  before  him  with  the  remark:  'My 
son  must  be  patient,  for  when  he  grows  up 
he  will  know  even  harder  times  than  this.' 

"He  had  eaten  nothing  all  day  and  was 
pretty  hungry,  but  before  he  could  lay 
hands  on  the  meat  a  starving  dog  snatched 
it  and  bolted  from  the  teepee.  The 


LITTLE  WOLF  215 

mother  ran  after  the  dog  and  brought  him 
back  for  punishment.  She  tied  him  to  a 
post  and  was  about  to  whip  him  when  the 
boy  interfered.  'Don't  hurt  him,  mother  !' 
he  cried;  'he  took  the  meat  because  he 
was  hungrier  than  I  am  ! ' ' 

I  was  told  of  another  kind  act  of  his 
under  trying  circumstances.  While  still 
a  youth,  he  was  caught  out  with  a  party  of 
buffalo  hunters  in  a  blinding  blizzard. 
They  were  compelled  to  lie  down  side  by 
side  in  the  snowdrifts,  and  it  was  a  day 
and  a  night  before  they  could  get  out. 
The  weather  turned  very  cold,  and  when 
the  men  arose  they  were  in  danger  of 
freezing.  Little  Wolf  pressed  his  fine  buf 
falo  robe  upon  an  old  man  who  was  shak 
ing  with  a  chill  and  himself  took  the  other's 
thin  blanket. 

As  a  full-grown  young  man,  he  was 
attracted  by  a  maiden  of  his  tribe,  and 
according  to  the  custom  then  in  vogue 
the  pair  disappeared.  When  they  re 
turned  to  the  camp  as  man  and  wife, 


216  INDIAN  HEROES 

behold !  there  was  great  excitement  over 
the  affair.  It  seemed  that  a  certain  chief 
had  given  many  presents  and  paid  un 
mistakable  court  to  the  maid  with  the  in 
tention  of  marrying  her,  and  her  parents 
had  accepted  the  presents,  which  meant 
consent  so  far  as  they  were  concerned. 
But  the  girl  herself  had  not  given  consent. 

The  resentment  of  the  disappointed 
suitor  was  great.  It  was  reported  in  the 
village  that  he  had  openly  declared  that 
the  young  man  who  defied  and  insulted 
him  must  expect  to  be  punished.  As  soon 
as  Little  Wolf  heard  of  the  threats,  he 
told  his  father  and  friends  that  he  had 
done  only  what  it  is  every  man's  privilege 
to  do. 

"Tell  the  chief,"  said  he,  "to  come 
out  with  any  weapon  he  pleases,  and  I 
will  meet  him  within  the  circle  of  lodges. 
He  shall  either  do  this  or  eat  his  words. 
The  woman  is  not  his.  Her  people  ac 
cepted  his  gifts  against  her  wishes.  Her 
heart  is  mine." 


LITTLE  WOLF  217 

The  chief  apologized,  and  thus  avoided 
the  inevitable  duel,  which  would  have 
been  a  fight  to  the  death. 

The  early  life  of  Little  Wolf  offered 
many  examples  of  the  dashing  bravery 
characteristic  of  the  Cheyennes,  and  in 
spired  the  younger  men  to  win  laurels 
for  themselves.  He  was  still  a  young 
man,  perhaps  thirty-five,  when  the  most 
trying  crisis  in  the  history  of  his  people 
came  upon  them.  As  I  know  and  as 
Doctor  Grinnell's  book  amply  corrobo 
rates,  he  was  the  general  who  largely  guided 
and  defended  them  in  that  tragic  flight 
from  the  Indian  Territory  to  their  north 
ern  home.  I  will  not  discuss  the  justice 
of  their  cause :  I  prefer  to  quote  Doctor 
Grinnell,  lest  it  appear  that  I  am  in  any 
way  exaggerating  the  facts. 

"They  had  come,"  he  writes,  "from  the 
high,  dry  country  of  Montana  and  North 
Dakota  to  the  hot  and  humid  Indian 
Territory.  They  had  come  from  a  coun 
try  where  buffalo  and  other  game  were  still 


218  INDIAN  HEROES 

plentiful  to  a  land  where  the  game  had 
been  exterminated.  Immediately  on  their 
arrival  they  were  attacked  by  fever  and 
ague,  a  disease  wholly  new  to  them.  Food 
was  scanty,  and  they  began  to  starve. 
The  agent  testified  before  a  committee  of 
the  Senate  that  he  never  received  sup 
plies  to  subsist  the  Indians  for  more  than 
nine  months  in  each  year.  These  people 
were  meat-eaters,  but  the  beef  furnished 
them  by  the  government  inspectors  was 
no  more  than  skin  and  bone.  The  agent 
in  describing  their  sufferings  said:  'They 
have  lived  and  that  is  about  all.' 

"The  Indians  endured  this  for  about  a 
year,  and  then  their  patience  gave  out. 
They  left  the  agency  to  which  they  had 
been  sent  and  started  north.  Though 
troops  were  camped  close  to  them,  they 
attempted  no  concealment  of  their  pur 
pose.  Instead,  they  openly  announced  that 
they  intended  to  return  to  their  own 
country. 

"We  have  heard  much  in  past  years  of 


LITTLE  WOLF  219 

the  march  of  the  Nez  Perces  under  Chief 
Joseph,  but  little  is  remembered  of  the 
Dull  Knife  outbreak  and  the  march  to  the 
north  led  by  Little  Wolf.  The  story  of 
the  journey  has  not  been  told,  but  in  the 
traditions  of  the  old  army  this  campaign 
was  notable,  and  old  men  who  were  sta 
tioned  on  the  plains  forty  years  ago  are 
apt  to  tell  you,  if  you  ask  them,  that  there 
never  was  such  another  journey  since  the 
Greeks  marched  to  the  sea.  .  .  . 

"The  fugitives  pressed  constantly  north- 
ward  undaunted,  while  orders  were  flying 
over  the  wires,  and  special  trains  were 
carrying  men  and  horses  to  cut  them  off 
at  all  probable  points  on  the  different 
railway  lines  they  must  cross.  Of  the 
three  hundred  Indians,  sixty  or  seventy 
were  fighting  men  —  the  rest  old  men, 
women,  and  children.  An  army  officer 
once  told  me  that  thirteen  thousand  troops 
were  hurrying  over  the  country  to  capture 
or  kill  these  few  poor  people  who  had  left 
the  fever-stricken  South,  and  in  the  face 


220  INDIAN  HEROES 

of  every  obstacle  were  steadily  marching 
northward. 

"The  War  Department  set  all  its  re 
sources  in  operation  against  them,  yet 
they  kept  on.  If  troops  attacked  them, 
they  stopped  and  fought  until  they  had 
driven  off  the  soldiers,  and  then  started 
north  again.  Sometimes  they  did  not  even 
stop,  but  marched  along,  fighting  as  they 
marched.  For  the  most  part  they  tried 
—  and  with  success  —  to  avoid  conflicts, 
and  had  but  four  real  hard  fights,  in  which 
they  lost  half  a  dozen  men  killed  and 
about  as  many  wounded." 

It  must  not  be  overlooked  that  the  ap 
peal  to  justice  had  first  been  tried  before 
taking  this  desperate  step.  Little  Wolf  had 
gone  to  the  agent  about  the  middle  of  the 
summer  and  said  to  him :  "This  is  not  a 
good  country  for  us,  and  we  wish  to  re 
turn  to  our  home  in  the  mountains  where 
we  were  always  well.  If  you  have  not 
the  power  to  give  permission,  let  some  of 
us  go  to  Washington  and  tell  them  there 


LITTLE  WOLF 

how  it  is,  or  do  you  write  to  Washington 
and  get  permission  for  us  to  go  back." 

"Stay  one  more  year,"  replied  the  agent, 
"and  then  we  will  see  what  we  can  do  for 
you."  "No,"  said  Little  Wolf.  "Before 
another  year  there  will  be  none  left  to 
travel  north.  We  must  go  now." 

Soon  after  this  it  was  found  that  three 
of  the  Indians  had  disappeared  and  the 
chief  was  ordered  to  surrender  ten  men  as 
hostages  for  their  return.  He  refused. 
"Three  men,"  said  he,  "who  are  traveling 
over  wild  country  can  hide  so  that  they 
cannot  be  found.  You  would  never  get 
back  these  three,  and  you  would  keep  my 
men  prisoners  always." 

The  agent  then  threatened  if  the  ten 
men  were  not  given  up  to  withhold  their 
rations  and  starve  the  entire  tribe  into  sub 
mission.  He  forgot  that  he  was  address 
ing  a  Cheyenne.  These  people  had  not 
understood  that  they  were  prisoners  when 
they  agreed  to  friendly  relations  with  the 
government  and  came  upon  the  reserva- 


222  INDIAN  HEROES 

tion.  Little  Wolf  stood  up  and  shook 
hands  with  all  present  before  making  his 
final  deliberate  address. 

"Listen,  my  friends,  I  am  a  friend  of 
the  white  people  and  have  been  so  for  a 
long  time.  I  do  not  want  to  see  blood  spilt 
about  this  agency.  I  am  going  north  to 
my  own  country.  If  you  are  going  to 
send  your  soldiers  after  me,  I  wish  you 
would  let  us  get  a  little  distance  away. 
Then  if  you  want  to  fight,  I  will  fight  you, 
and  we  can  make  the  ground  bloody  at 
that  place." 

The  Cheyenne  was  not  bluffing.  He 
said  just  what  he  meant,  and  I  presume 
the  agent  took  the  hint,  for  although  the 
military  were  there  they  did  not  under 
take  to  prevent  the  Indians'  departure. 
Next  morning  the  teepees  were  pulled 
down  early  and  quickly.  Toward  evening 
of  the  second  day,  the  scouts  signaled  the 
approach  of  troops.  Little  Wolf  called 
his  men  together  and  advised  them  under 
no  circumstances  to  fire  until  fired  upon. 


LITTLE  WOLF 

An  Arapahoe  scout  was  sent  to  them  with 
a  message.  "If  you  surrender  now,  you 
will  get  your  rations  and  be  well  treated." 
After  what  they  had  endured,  it  was  im 
possible  not  to  hear  such  a  promise  with 
contempt.  Said  Little  Wolf:  "We  are 
going  back  to  our  own  country.  We  do 
not  want  to  fight."  He  was  riding  still 
nearer  when  the  soldiers  fired,  and  at  a 
signal  the  Cheyennes  made  a  charge. 
They  succeeded  in  holding  off  the  troops 
for  two  days,  with  only  five  men  wounded 
and  none  killed,  and  when  the  military  re 
treated  the  Indians  continued  northward 
carrying  their  wounded. 

This  sort  of  thing  was  repeated  again 
and  again.  Meanwhile  Little  Wolf  held 
his  men  under  perfect  control.  There  were 
practically  no  depredations.  They  secured 
some  boxes  of  ammunition  left  behind  by 
retreating  troops,  and  at  one  point  the 
young  men  were  eager  to  follow  and  de 
stroy  an  entire  command  who  were  ap 
parently  at  their  mercy,  but  their  leader 


224  INDIAN  HEROES 

withheld  them.  They  had  now  reached 
the  buffalo  country,  and  he  always  kept 
his  main  object  in  sight.  He  was  extraor 
dinarily  calm.  Doctor  Grinnell  was  told 
by  one  of  his  men  years  afterward  :  "Little 
Wolf  did  not  seem  like  a  human  being.  He 
seemed  like  a  bear."  It  is  true  that  a  man 
of  his  type  in  a  crisis  becomes  spiritually 
transformed  and  moves  as  one  in  a  dream. 
At  the  Running  Water  the  band  di 
vided,  Dull  Knife  going  toward  Red  Cloud 
agency.  He  was  near  Fort  Robinson  when 
he  surrendered  and  met  his  sad  fate. 
Little  Wolf  remained  all  winter  in  the 
Sand  Hills,  where  there  was  plenty  of 
game  and  no  white  men.  Later  he  went 
to  Montana  and  then  to  Pine  Ridge,  where 
he  and  his  people  remained  in  peace  until 
they  were  removed  to  Lame  Deer,  Mon 
tana,  and  there  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  days.  There  is  a  clear  sky  beyond  the 
clouds  of  racial  prejudice,  and  in  that  final 
Court  of  Honor  a  noble  soul  like  that  of 
Little  Wolf  has  a  place. 


HOLE-IN-THE-D  AY 1 

IN  the  beginning  of  the  nineteenth 
century,  the  Indian  nations  of  the 
Northwest  first  experienced  the  pres 
sure  of  civilization.  At  this  period  there 
were  among  them  some  brilliant  leaders 
unknown  to  history,  for  the  curious  reason 
that  they  cordially  received  and  welcomed 
the  newcomers  rather  than  opposed  them. 
The  only  difficulties  were  those  arising 
among  the  European  nations  themselves, 
and  often  involving  the  native  tribes. 
Thus  new  environments  brought  new  mo 
tives,  and  our  temptations  were  increased 
many  fold  with  the  new  weapons,  new 
goods,  and  above  all  the  subtly  destruc 
tive  "spirit  water." 

Gradually   it   became   known   that   the 
new  race  had  a  definite  purpose,  and  that 

1 1  wish  to  thank  Reverend  C.  H.  Beaulieu  of  Le  Soeur,  Min 
nesota,  for  much  of  the  material  used  in  this  chapter. 
225 


226  INDIAN  HEROES 

purpose  was  to  chart  and  possess  the 
whole  country,  regardless  of  the  rights  of 
its  earlier  inhabitants.  Still  the  old  chiefs 
cautioned  their  people  to  be  patient,  for, 
said  they,  the  land  is  vast,  both  races  can 
live  on  it,  each  in  their  own  way.  Let  us 
therefore  befriend  them  and  trust  to  their 
friendship.  While  they  reasoned  thus,  the 
temptations  of  graft  and  self-aggrandize 
ment  overtook  some  of  the  leaders. 

Hole-in-the-Day  (or  Bug-o-nay-ki-shig) 
was  born  in  the  opening  days  of  this  era. 
The  word  "ki-shig"  means  either  "day" 
or  "sky",  and  the  name  is  perhaps  more 
correctly  translated  Hole-in-the-Sky.  This 
gifted  man  inherited  his  name  and  much 
of  his  ability  from  his  father,  who  was  a 
war  chief  among  the  O  jib  ways,  a  Napoleon 
of  the  common  people,  and  who  carried  on 
a  relentless  warfare  against  the  Sioux. 
And  yet,  as  was  our  custom  at  the  time, 
peaceful  meetings  were  held  every  sum 
mer,  at  which  representatives  of  the  two 
tribes  would  recount  to  one  another  all 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY 

the  events  that  had  come  to  pass  during 
the  preceding  year. 

Hole-in-the-Day  the  younger  was  a 
handsome  man,  tall  and  symmetrically 
formed,  with  much  grace  of  manner  and 
natural  refinement.  He  was  an  astute 
student  of  diplomacy.  The  O  jib  ways  al 
lowed  polygamy,  and  whether  or  not  he 
approved  the  principle,  he  made  political 
use  of  it  by  marrying  the  daughter  of  a 
chief  in  nearly  every  band.  Through  these 
alliances  he  held  a  controlling  influence 
over  the  whole  O  jib  way  nation.  Reverend 
Claude  H.  Beaulieu  says  of  him : 

"Hole-in-the-Day  was  a  man  of  distin 
guished  appearance  and  native  courtli 
ness  of  manner.  His  voice  was  musical 
and  magnetic,  and  with  these  qualities 
he  had  a  subtle  brain,  a  logical  mind,  and 
quite  a  remarkable  gift  of  oratory.  In 
speech  he  was  not  impassioned,  but  clear 
and  convincing,  and  held  fast  the  atten 
tion  of  his  hearers." 

It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  his  every- 


£28  INDIAN  HEROES 

day  name  among  his  tribesmen  was  "The 
Boy."  What  a  boy  he  must  have  been! 
I  wonder  if  the  name  had  the  same  sig 
nificance  as  with  the  Sioux,  who  applied 
it  to  any  man  who  performs  a  difficult  duty 
with  alertness,  dash,  and  natural  courage. 
"The  Man"  applies  to  one  who  adds  to 
these  qualities  wisdom  and  maturity  of 
judgment. 

The  Sioux  tell  many  stories  of  both  the 
elder  and  the  younger  Hole-in-the-Day. 
Once  when  The  Boy  was  still  under  ten 
years  of  age,  he  was  fishing  on  Gull  Lake 
in  a  leaky  birch-bark  canoe.  Presently 
there  came  such  a  burst  of  frantic  war 
whoops  that  his  father  was  startled.  He 
could  not  think  of  anything  but  an  attack 
by  the  dreaded  Sioux.  Seizing  his  weapons, 
he  ran  to  the  rescue  of  his  son,  only  to 
find  that  the  little  fellow  had  caught  a 
fish  so  large  that  it  was  pulling  his  canoe 
all  over  the  lake.  "Ugh,"  exclaimed  the 
father,  "if  a  mere  fish  scares  you  so  badly, 
I  fear  you  will  never  make  a  warrior!" 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY 

It  is  told  of  him  that  when  he  was  very 
small,  the  father  once  brought  home  two 
bear  cubs  and  gave  them  to  him  for  pets. 
The  Boy  was  feeding  and  getting  ac 
quainted  with  them  outside  his  mother's 
birch-bark  teepee,  when  suddenly  he  was 
heard  to  yell  for  help.  The  two  little 
bears  had  treed  The  Boy  and  were  waltz 
ing  around  the  tree.  His  mother  scared 
them  off,  but  again  the  father  laughed  at 
him  for  thinking  that  he  could  climb  trees 
better  than  a  bear. 

The  elder  Hole-in-the-Day  was  a  daring 
warrior  and  once  attacked  and  scalped  a 
Sioux  who  was  carrying  his  pelts  to  the 
trading  post,  in  full  sight  of  his  friends. 
Of  course  he  was  instantly  pursued,  and 
he  leaped  into  a  canoe  which  was  lying 
near  by  and  crossed  to  an  island  in  the 
Mississippi  River  near  Fort  Snelling. 
When  almost  surrounded  by  Sioux  war 
riors,  he  left  the  canoe  and  swam  along  the 
shore  with  only  his  nose  above  water,  but 
as  they  were  about  to  head  him  off  he 


230  INDIAN  HEROES 

landed  and  hid  behind  the  falling  sheet 
of  water  known  as  Minnehaha  Falls,  thus 
saving  his  life. 

It  often  happens  that  one  who  offers  his 
life  freely  will  after  all  die  a  natural  death. 
The  elder  Hole-in-the-Day  so  died  when 
The  Boy  was  still  a  youth.  Like  Philip 
of  Massachusetts,  Chief  Joseph  the 
younger,  and  the  brilliant  Osceola,  the 
mantle  fell  gracefully  upon  his  shoulders, 
and  he  wore  it  during  a  short  but  event 
ful  term  of  chieftainship.  It  was  his  to 
see  the  end  of  the  original  democracy  on 
this  continent.  The  clouds  were  fast 
thickening  on  the  eastern  horizon.  The 
day  of  individualism  and  equity  between 
man  and  man  must  yield  to  the  terrific 
forces  of  civilization,  the  mass  play  of 
materialism,  the  cupidity  of  commerce 
with  its  twin  brother  politics.  Under  such 
conditions  the  younger  Hole-in-the-Day 
undertook  to  guide  his  tribesmen.  At 
first  they  were  inclined  to  doubt  the  wis 
dom  of  so  young  a  leader,  but  he  soon 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY 

proved  a  ready  student  of  his  people's 
traditions,  and  yet,  like  Spotted  Tail  and 
Little  Crow,  he  adopted  too  willingly  the 
white  man's  politics.  He  maintained  the 
territory  won  from  the  Sioux  by  his  prede 
cessors.  He  negotiated  treaties  with  the 
ability  of  a  born  diplomat,  with  one  ex 
ception,  and  that  exception  cost  him  his  life. 
Like  other  able  Indians  who  foresaw  the 
inevitable  downfall  of  their  race,  he  favored 
a  gradual  change  of  customs  leading  to 
complete  adoption  of  the  white  man's 
ways.  In  order  to  accustom  the  people 
to  a  new  standard,  he  held  that  the  chiefs 
must  have  authority  and  must  be  given 
compensation  for  their  services.  This  was 
a  serious  departure  from  the  old  rule  but 
was  tacitly  accepted,  and  in  every  treaty 
he  made  there  was  provision  for  himself 
in  the  way  of  a  land  grant  or  a  cash  pay 
ment.  He  early  departed  from  the  old 
idea  of  joint  ownership  with  the  Lake 
Superior  Ojibways,  because  he  foresaw 
that  it  would  cause  no  end  of  trouble  for 


232  INDIAN  HEROES 

the  Mississippi  River  branch  of  which  he 
was  then  the  recognized  head.  But  there 
were  difficulties  to  come  with  the  Leech 
Lake  and  Red  Lake  bands,  who  held 
aloof  from  his  policy,  and  the  question  of 
boundaries  began  to  arise. 

In  the  first  treaty  negotiated  with  the 
government  by  young  Hole-in-the-Day  in 
1855,  a  "surplus"  was  provided  for  the 
chiefs  aside  from  the  regular  per  capita 
payment,  and  this  surplus  was  to  be  dis 
tributed  in  proportion  to  the  number  of 
Indians  under  each.  Hole-in-the-Day  had 
by  far  the  largest  enrollment,  therefore  he 
got  the  lion's  share  of  this  fund.  Further 
more  he  received  another  sum  set  apart 
for  the  use  of  the  "head  chief",  and  these 
things  did  not  look  right  to  the  tribe.  In 
the  very  next  treaty  he  provided  himself 
with  an  annuity  of  one  thousand  dollars 
for  twenty  years,  beside  a  section  of  land 
near  the  village  of  Crow  Wing,  and  the 
government  was  induced  to  build  him  a 
good  house  upon  this  land.  In  his  home 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY  233 

he  had  many  white  servants  and  hench 
men  and  really  lived  like  a  lord.  He 
dressed  well  in  native  style  with  a  touch 
of  civilized  elegance,  wearing  coat  and 
leggings  of  fine  broadcloth,  linen  shirt 
with  collar,  and,  topping  all,  a  handsome 
black  or  blue  blanket.  His  moccasins  were 
of  the  finest  deerskin  and  beautifully 
worked.  His  long  beautiful  hair  added 
much  to  his  personal  appearance.  He  was 
fond  of  entertaining  and  being  entertained 
and  was  a  favorite  both  among  army 
officers  and  civilians.  He  was  especially 
popular  with  the  ladies,  and  this  fact  will 
appear  later  in  the  story. 

At  about  this  time,  the  United  States 
government  took  it  upon  itself  to  put  an 
end  to  warfare  between  the  Sioux  and 
O  jib  ways.  A  peace  meeting  was  arranged 
at  Fort  Snelling,  with  the  United  States 
as  mediator.  When  the  representatives  of 
the  two  nations  met  at  this  grand  council, 
Hole-in-the-Day  came  as  the  head  chief 
of  his  people,  and  with  the  other  chiefs 


234  INDIAN  HEROES 

appeared  in  considerable  pomp  and  dig 
nity.  The  wives  of  the  government  of 
ficials  were  eager  for  admission  to  this 
unusual  gathering,  but  when  they  arrived 
there  was  hardly  any  space  left  except  next 
to  the  Sioux  chiefs,  and  the  white  ladies 
soon  crowded  this  space  to  overflowing. 
One  of  the  Sioux  remarked:  "I  thought 
this  was  to  be  a  council  of  chiefs  and 
braves,  but  I  see  many  women  among  us." 
Thereupon  the  O  jib  way  arose  and  spoke 
in  his  courtliest  manner.  "The  Ojibway 
chiefs  will  feel  highly  honored,"  said  he, 
"if  the  ladies  will  consent  to  sit  on  our  side." 
Another  sign  of  his  alertness  to  gain 
favor  among  the  whites  was  seen  in  the 
fact  that  he  took  part  in  the  territorial 
campaigns,  a  most  unusual  thing  for  an 
Indian  of  that  day.  Being  a  man  of 
means  and  influence,  he  was  listened  to 
with  respect  by  the  scattered  white  set 
tlers  in  his  vicinity.  He  would  make  a 
political  speech  through  an  interpreter, 
but  would  occasionally  break  loose  in  his 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY  235 

broken  English,  and  wind  up  with  an  in 
vitation  to  drink  in  the  following  words : 
"  Chentimen,  you  Pemicans  (Republicans), 
come  out  and  drink!" 

From  1855  to  1864  Hole-in-the-Day  was 
a  well-known  figure  in  Minnesota,  and 
scarcely  less  so  in  Washington,  for  he 
visited  the  capital  quite  often  on  tribal 
affairs.  As  I  have  said  before,  he  was  an 
unusually  handsome  man,  and  was  not 
unresponsive  to  flattery  and  the  attentions 
of  women.  At  the  time  of  this  incident 
he  was  perhaps  thirty-five  years  old,  but 
looked  younger.  He  had  called  upon  the 
President  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  his 
hotel,  when  he  happened  to  pass  the 
Treasury  building  just  as  the  clerks  were 
leaving  for  the  day.  He  was  immediately 
surrounded  by  an  inquisitive  throng. 
Among  them  was  a  handsome  young 
woman  who  asked  through  the  interpreter 
if  the  chief  would  consent  to  an  interview 
about  his  people,  to  aid  her  in  a  paper  she 
had  promised  to  prepare. 


£36  INDIAN  HEROES 

Hole-in-the-Day  replied:  "If  the  beau 
tiful  lady  is  willing  to  risk  calling  on  the 
chief  at  his  hotel,  her  request  will  be 
granted."  The  lady  went,  and  the  result 
was  so  sudden  and  strong  an  attach 
ment  that  both  forgot  all  racial  biases  and 
differences  of  language  and  custom.  She 
followed  him  as  far  as  Minneapolis,  and 
there  the  chief  advised  her  to  remain,  for 
he  feared  the  jealousy  of  some  of  his  many 
wives.  She  died  there,  soon  after  giving 
birth  to  a  son,  who  was  brought  up  by  a 
family  named  Woodbury ;  and  some  fif 
teen  years  ago  I  met  the  young  man  in 
Washington  and  was  taken  by  him  to  call 
upon  certain  of  his  mother's  relatives. 

The  ascendancy  of  Hole-in-the-Day  was 
not  gained  entirely  through  the  consent  of 
his  people,  but  largely  by  government 
favor,  therefore  there  was  strong  sup 
pressed  resentment  among  his  associate 
chiefs,  and  the  Red  Lake  and  Leech  Lake 
bands  in  fact  never  acknowledged  him  as 
their  head,  while  they  suspected  him  of 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY  237 

making  treaties  which  involved  some  of 
their  land.  He  was  in  personal  danger 
from  this  source,  and  his  life  was  twice 
attempted,  but,  though  wounded,  in  each 
case  he  recovered.  His  popularity  with 
Indian  agents  and  officers  lasted  till  the 
Republicans  came  into  power  in  the  sixties 
and  there  was  a  new  deal.  The  chief  no 
longer  received  the  favors  and  tips  to  which 
he  was  accustomed ;  in  fact  he  was  in 
want  of  luxuries,  and  worse  still,  his  pride 
was  hurt  by  neglect.  The  new  party  had 
promised  Christian  treatment  to  the  In 
dians,  but  it  appeared  that  they  were 
greater  grafters  than  their  predecessors, 
and  unlike  them  kept  everything  for  them 
selves,  allowing  no  perquisites  to  any  In 
dian  chief. 

In  his  indignation  at  this  treatment, 
Hole-in-the-Day  began  exposing  the  frauds 
on  his  people,  and  so  at  a  late  day  was 
converted  to  their  defense.  Perhaps  he 
had  not  fully  understood  the  nature  of 
graft  until  he  was  in  a  position  to  view  it 


238  INDIAN  HEROES 

from  the  outside.  After  all,  he  was  ex 
cusable  in  seeking  to  maintain  the  dignity 
of  his  office,  but  he  had  departed  from  one 
of  the  fundamental  rules  of  the  race, 
namely:  "Let  no  material  gain  be  the 
motive  or  reward  of  public  duty."  He 
had  wounded  the  ideals  of  his  people  be 
yond  forgiveness,  and  he  suffered  the  pen 
alty  ;  yet  his  courage  was  not  diminished 
by  the  mistakes  of  his  past.  Like  the 
Sioux  chief  Little  Crow,  he  was  called 
6 'the  betrayer  of  his  people",  and  like  him 
he  made  a  desperate  effort  to  regain  lost 
prestige,  and  turned  savagely  against  the 
original  betrayers  of  his  confidence,  the 
agents  and  Indian  traders. 

When  the  Sioux  finally  broke  out  in 
1862,  the  first  thought  of  the  local  poli 
ticians  was  to  humiliate  Hole-in-the-Day 
by  arresting  him  and  proclaiming  some 
other  "head  chief"  in  his  stead.  In  so 
doing  they  almost  forced  the  0  jib  ways  to 
fight  under  his  leadership.  The  chief  had 
no  thought  of  alliance  with  the  Sioux,  and 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY  239 

was  wholly  unaware  of  the  proposed  action 
of  the  military  on  pretense  of  such  a  con 
spiracy  on  his  part.  He  was  on  his  way 
to  the  agency  in  his  own  carriage  when  a 
runner  warned  him  of  his  danger.  He 
thereupon  jumped  down  and  instructed 
the  driver  to  proceed.  His  coachman  was 
arrested  by  a  file  of  soldiers,  who  when 
they  discovered  their  mistake  went  to  his 
residence  in  search  of  him,  but  meanwhile 
he  had  sent  runners  in  every  direction  to 
notify  his  warriors,  and  had  moved  his 
family  across  the  Mississippi.  When  the 
military  reached  the  river  bank  he  was 
still  in  sight,  and  the  lieutenant  called 
upon  him  to  surrender.  When  he  refused, 
the  soldiers  were  ordered  to  fire  upon  him, 
but  he  replied  with  his  own  rifle,  and  with 
a  whoop  disappeared  among  the  pine  groves. 
It  was  remarkable  how  the  whole  tribe 
now  rallied  to  the  call  of  Hole-in-the-Day. 
He  allowed  no  depredations  to  the  young 
men  under  his  leadership,  but  camped 
openly  near  the  agency  and  awaited  an 


£40  INDIAN  HEROES 

explanation.  Presently  Judge  Cooper  of 
St.  Paul,  a  personal  friend  of  the  chief,  ap 
peared,  and  later  on  the  Assistant  Secre 
tary  of  the  Interior,  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Nicolay,  private  secretary  of  President 
Lincoln.  Apparently  that  great  humani 
tarian  President  saw  the  whole  injustice 
of  the  proceeding  against  a  loyal  nation, 
and  the  difficulty  was  at  an  end. 

Through  the  treaties  of  1864,  1867,  and 
1868  was  accomplished  the  final  destiny  of 
the  Mississippi  River  O  jib  ways.  Hole-in- 
the-Day  was  against  their  removal  to 
what  is  now  White  Earth  reservation,  but 
he  was  defeated  in  this  and  realized  that 
the  new  turn  of  events  meant  the  downfall 
of  his  race.  He  declared  that  he  would 
never  go  on  the  new  reservation,  and  he 
kept  his  word.  He  remained  on  one  of 
his  land  grants  near  Crow  Wing.  As  the 
other  chiefs  assumed  more  power,  the  old 
feeling  of  suspicion  and  hatred  became 
stronger,  especially  among  the  Pillager  and 
Red  Lake  bands.  One  day  he  was  way- 


HOLE-IN-THE-DAY  241 

laid  and  shot  by  a  party  of  these  disaf 
fected  Indians.  He  uttered  a  whoop  and 
fell  dead  from  his  buggy. 

Thus  died  one  of  the  most  brilliant 
chiefs  of  the  Northwest,  who  never  de 
fended  his  birthright  by  force  of  arms, 
although  almost  compelled  to  do  so.  He 
succeeded  in  diplomacy  so  long  as  he  was 
the  recognized  head  of  his  people.  Since  we 
have  not  passed  over  his  weaknesses,  he 
should  be  given  credit  for  much  insight  in 
causing  the  article  prohibiting  the  intro 
duction  of  liquor  into  the  Indian  country 
to  be  inserted  into  the  treaty  of  1858.  I 
think  it  was  in  1910  that  this  forgotten  pro 
vision  was  discovered  and  again  enforced 
over  a  large  expanse  of  territory  occupied 
by  whites,  it  being  found  that  the  pro 
vision  had  never  been  repealed. 

Although  he  left  many  children,  none 
seem  to  have  made  their  mark,  yet  it  may 
be  that  in  one  of  his  descendants  that  un 
daunted  spirit  will  rise  again. 


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